Macroscopic Nanotube Fibers Spun from Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Polyelectrolytes

Abstract

In this work, single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) fibers were produced from SWCNT polyelectrolyte dispersions stabilized by crown ether in dimethyl sulfoxide and coagulated into aqueous solutions. The SWCNT polyelectrolyte dispersions had concentrations up to 52 mg/mL and showed liquid crystalline behavior under polarized optical microscopy. The produced SWCNT fibers are neat (i.e., not forming composites with polymers) and showed a tensile strength up to 124 MPa and a Young's modulus of 14 GPa. This tensile strength is comparable to those of SWCNT fibers spun from strong acids. Conductivities on the order of 10(4) S/m were obtained by doping the fibers with iodine.

Aligned carbon nanotube–epoxy composites: the effect of nanotube organization on strength, stiffness, and toughness

“…6e). This value is almost a half as that of the CNTM-composites, where an average pore area is 363 nm 2 (Fig. 6f).…”

“…6c). Gaussian-fit histograms of the pore-size distribution indicate that for CNTF-nanocomposites, 70 % of all pores are smaller than 250 nm 2 and have an average area of 165 nm 2 (Fig. 6e).…”

“…Assembling of CNT into fibrous materials has been successfully realized through a range of methods, including wet-spinning technique [1], spinning from their liquid crystalline solutions [2], spinning from dry arrays [3], or direct spinning from the gas phase during the floating catalyst CVD synthesis, as described elsewhere [4,5]. High-performance carbon nanotube fibres (CNTF) possess high thermal conductivity and outstanding electrical conductivity able to compete with metals [1,6], and thus they have been recognized as promising materials for cost-effective electronics and electrical wiring [7].…”

Toward High Performance Nanocarbon Fibers

“…18 Another way to prepare CNT fibers via wet-spinning is to use a CNT polyelectrolye dispersion as the dope. 38 In a recent study, SWNT polyelectrolytes were stabilized with crown ethers in DMSO, and a concentration as high as 52 mg/mL, with LC behavior, was achieved. 38 SWNT fibers prepared using this method were shown to have a modulus of 14 GPa and a tensile strength of 124 MPa.…”

“…38 In a recent study, SWNT polyelectrolytes were stabilized with crown ethers in DMSO, and a concentration as high as 52 mg/mL, with LC behavior, was achieved. 38 SWNT fibers prepared using this method were shown to have a modulus of 14 GPa and a tensile strength of 124 MPa. 38 When the dope had a lower concentration of 9.4 mg/mL, the fibers were too brittle to be analyzed, but when the concentration of SWNTs was increased to 35 mg/mL, the strength was optimized.…”