Aligned Boron Nitride Nanotube Thin Films and Their Cocomposites with Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes through Slow Vacuum Filtration

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are a promising nanomaterial due to their remarkable optical and mechanical properties, chemical robustness, and extended aspect ratios. Herein, we report the formation of strongly biaxially aligned thin films of BNNTs using automated slow vacuum filtration (SVF), as well as their cocomposites with single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Pure BNNT SVF-generated films are found to differ in optimization conditions from those identified previously for SWCNTs but display similar improvements in alignment and uniformity with advanced purification for nanotube length and homogeneity, with globally aligned films observed. Mixed, cocomposite, biaxially aligned films of BNNTs with SWCNTs are also described. Such films provide effective and efficient hosting capabilities for unique morphologies of distributed and individualized SWCNTs aligned by a wide-bandgap BNNT matrix. Concentrations upward of 25% SWCNT mass fraction were found to reside within majority-BNNT films without significantly disrupting the global composite structure; the SWCNT fraction, in turn, enabled probing of both local and global nematic alignment through their use as spectroscopic reporters. Leveraging the thickness and alignment control provided by our SVF implementation, both neat BNNT and composite films show great promise for advancing novel photonic and other thin-film nanocomposite applications requiring tailorable mechanical, thermal, optical, and electronic functionalities.