Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Coaxial Cables with Strong Interface for Damping Composites and Stretchable Conductors

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers have the potential to serve as continuous nano-fillers for structural and functional composite materials, yet there exists the interfacial problem that has hindered the development of continuous fiber reinforced composites for a long time. Here, a method to overcome this challenge by coating a thick CNT sponge around a single-walled nanotube (SWNT) fiber is presented, and then infiltrating polymers into the sponge to construct a SWNT@polymer coaxial cable. It has been found that the residual stress-induced deposition of amorphous carbon as an intermediate layer between the underlying SWNT fiber and the subsequently coated multiwalled nanotube (MWNT) sponge plays a key role in interfacial properties, and together with well-dispersed CNT in the polymer matrix, a superior interfacial shear strength (>12 MPa), enhanced tensile strength and toughness is achieved. These coaxial cables demonstrate high mechanical damping ability and can serve as stretchable conductors maintaining high electrical conductivity during large-strain cyclic deformation. These results indicate a promising route toward developing continuous CNT fiber-based composites with wide applications as structural and multi-functional composite materials.

Polypropylene‐based nanocomposite with improved mechanical properties: Effect of cellulose nanofiber and polyrotaxane with partial miscibility

“…Polymer composites with dispersed inorganic nanoparticles exhibit improved Young's modulus/material hardness. [23][24][25] In this study, the method of preparing composites by melt compounding is very similar to the method of preparing polymer/inorganic nanofiller composites and has the advantage of easy addition of powdered functional organic fillers. Hence, the partial miscibility and Young's modulus are improved by the effective dispersion of the organic filler aggregates.…”

“…[22] When a small amount of inorganic nanoparticles is uniformly dispersed in a polymer matrix, the enhanced mechanical properties of the composites are often indicated by improvements in the hardness and Young's modulus. [23][24][25] On the other hand, composite materials such as polymer alloys and polymer blends, which are obtained by physically or chemically mixing polymers, often show improved strength and elongation properties. [26] Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) [27] and polyrotaxane (p-rtx) [28,29] are functional polymers that have attracted considerable attention in recent years; both materials (as powders) can be combined with a polymer matrix using a simple melt-compounding method.…”

Graphene Interlocking Carbon Nanotubes for High-Strength and High-Conductivity Fibers

“…Lee et al immersed the obtained CNTFs into CSA and introduced a feasible stretching process to produce a significant increase in specific strength (4.08 N/tex), modulus, and electrical conductivity, showing an extraordinary strengthening effect. In another strategy, the infiltration of polymers (such as polyvinyl alcohol, epoxy, bismaleimide, and silk fibroin), cross-linking agents, or nanocarbon materials (such as graphene, graphene oxide (GO), − and amorphous carbon − ) has been developed to fabricate the highly densified and aligned CNTFs, as well as induce the stronger interaction between neighboring CNTs through formation of π–π interactions, hydrogen bonding or even covalent bonds. However, the conductivity of CNTFs inevitably deteriorates owing to the introduction of polymers or GO.…”

Covalently Bonded Graphene Sheets on Carbon Nanotubes: Direct Growth and Outstanding Properties

“…Owing to their excellent electrical, [1][2][3] thermal, [4] structural, [5,6] mechanical and chemical properties, [7,8] 1D carbon nanotubes DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202306785 (CNTs) and 2D graphene have attracted great attention in both academia and industry. However, the nanoscale structure of CNTs and graphene often leads to anisotropy and aggregation issues, [9] which invariably hinder their performance in practical applications such as functional composites additives, [10,11] water purification fillers, [12,13] and energy storage/conversion electrode materials. [14][15][16] Due to the presence of 𝜋─𝜋 interactions and van der Waals forces between individuals, CNTs and graphene are prone to agglomeration, [17] which reduces their exposed surface area.…”