A KUT international student received the best poster award at Institute of Laser Engineering Symposium

Mr. Adam Pander, a doctoral student of Advanced Energy Nanomaterials Laboratory of Associate Professor Hiroshi Furuta, who studies in the Engineering Course, Graduate School of Engineering, Kochi University of Technology (KUT) won the best poster award at Institute of Laser Engineering Symposium on April 19th to 20th in Osaka. Out of 56 presenters, 2 presenters were selected for this award

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess excellent mechanical, electrical and optical properties. The purpose of the presentation was to tune optical properties by reducing the total optical reflectance of carbon nanotube forest, by the optimization of the synthesis parameters.

By applying Taguchi method as a quality engineering technique, it was possible to remarkably decrease the number of experiments from 81, when performed by conventional approach, to 9, when statistical method was used. As a result, the total reflectance of CNT forest of thickness of 22μm (CNT forest of high density, vertically oriented structure), was successfully decreased by 45% after the optimization process.

CNT forest with very high light absorption rate, such as the one reported in the presentation, is the material closest to the black body in the universe, and has been attracting attention as a light absorbing material or an optical application material.

The university will use the obtained results of this research, in order to promote the development of metamaterial devices in various wavelengths.

Award title: Taguchi method in optimization of optical properties of CNT forest
Presenters: Adam PANDER, Kouki ISHIMOTO, Akimitsu HATTA, Hiroshi FURUTA