Pen-writable nanocarbon arrays fabricated using liquid-crystalline materials for potential use in displays

— We have fabricated carbon nanotubes and nanofibers using liquid-crystalline materials. By using these materials, the orientation of graphene layers can be manipulated using surface-anchoring techniques common to liquid-crystal displays. The bulk material properties of the graphene can be controlled by the spatial arrangement of the layers due to their anisotropic nature. We have also demonstrated a method to pattern arrays of these nanoforms using an automated printing technique.