Metal-film-assisted ultra-clean transfer of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Transfer printing of nanomaterials onto target substrates has been widely used in the fabrication of nanodevices, but it remains a challenge to fully avoid contamination introduced in the transfer process. Here we report a metal-film-assisted method to realize an ultra-clean transfer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) mediated by poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The amount of PMMA residue can be greatly reduced due to its strong physical adhesion to the metal film, leading to ultra-clean surfaces of both the SWCNTs and the substrates. This metal-film-assisted transfer method is efficient, nondestructive, and scalable. It is also suitable for the transfer of graphene and other nanostructures. Furthermore, the relatively low temperature employed allows this technique to be compatible with nanomaterial-based flexible electronics.