Self assembled plate-like structures of single-walled carbon nanotubes by non-covalent hybridization with smectic liquid crystals

A single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin plate was prepared using a smectic liquid crystal (Sm LC) template. The induced self-organizing SWCNT plate is attributed to π-π stacking between the hexagonal rings of the SWCNT wall and aromatic moieties in Sm LC. The SWCNT plate was characterized by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and polarized optical microscopy.