Abstract
A two-terminal semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube (SC-SWNT) film in contact with an ionic liquid allows the realization of an extremely high density of holes, inducing a strong position-dependent electromodulation of the interband and excitonic transitions as a result of the position-dependent shift of the SWNT Fermi level. Electrical control of the optical transmission suggests applications of the SC-SWNT thin films as electrically configurable optical media, while the wide spectral range of the electro-optical modulation, which extends from the far-infrared to the visible, provides a viable approach to large-area electrochromic smart windows.
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Acknowledgements
This material is based on research sponsored by the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) (agreement no. H94003-10-2-1003). The US Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Government purposes, notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon.
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F.W., M.E.I. and R.C.H. contributed to the original idea. M.E.I. and R.C.H. supervised the project. F.W. and M.E.I. designed and set up the experiment. F.W. performed the experiment. F.W., M.E.I., E.B. and R.C.H. contributed to the data analysis, interpretation of the results and preparation of the manuscript. M.E.I. and R.C.H. wrote the manuscript.
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Wang, F., Itkis, M., Bekyarova, E. et al. Charge-compensated, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube thin film as an electrically configurable optical medium. Nature Photon 7, 459–465 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2013.66
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2013.66