Effects of carbon nanotube thermal conductivity on optoacoustic transducer performance

摘要： CNT-PDMS composite is regarded as a promising candidate for optoacoustic transducer application. However, the relationship between the CNT thermal conductivity and optoacoustic transducer performance is still unde?ned. To explore this relationship, four types of CNTs with different diameters and lengths were employed to successfully fabricate four types of optoacoustic transducers. The thermal properties of CNTs were analyzed and discussed in this paper; the laser-generated ultrasound and optoacoustic conversion ef?ciency of the transducers were experimentally and theoretically investigated. Results of comparison revealed the CNT with a diameter and length of 8 nm and 10e30 mm, respectively, to have the highest thermal conductivity. With this type of CNT/PDMS composite, the optoacoustic conversion ef?ciency reached as high as 9.59 (cid:1) 10-3. Overall, the results demonstrate that higher CNT thermal conductivity corresponds to better optoacoustic transducer performance.