The Rice lab of chemist and chemical engineer Matteo
The first paper characterized 19 batches of nanotubes produced by as many manufacturers to determine which nanotube characteristics yield the most conductive and strongest fibers for use in large-scale aerospace, consumer electronics and textile applications.
The researchers determined the nanotubes' aspect ratio—length versus width—is a critical factor, as is the overall purity of the batch. They found the tubes' diameters, number of walls and crystalline quality are not as important to the product properties.
Pasquali said that while the aspect ratio of nanotubes was known to have an influence on fiber properties, this is the first systematic work to establish the relationship across a broad range of nanotube samples. Researchers found that longer nanotubes could be processed as well as shorter ones, and that mechanical strength and electrical conductivity increased in lockstep.
The best fibers had an average tensile strength of 2.4 gigapascals (GPa) and electrical conductivity of 8.5 megasiemens per meter, about 15 percent of the conductivity of copper. Increasing nanotube length during synthesis will provide a path toward further property improvements, Pasquali said.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-10-advance-characterization-purification-nanotube-wires.html#jCp
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