Understanding the Mechanical and Conductive Properties of Carbon Nanotube Fibers for Smart Electronics

Abstract

The development of fiber‐based smart electronics has provoked increasing demand for high‐performance and multifunctional fiber materials. Carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers, the 1D macroassembly of CNTs, have extensively been utilized to construct wearable electronics due to their unique integration of high porosity/surface area, desirable mechanical/physical properties, and extraordinary structural flexibility, as well as their novel corrosion/oxidation resistivity. To take full advantage of CNT fibers, it is essential to understand their mechanical and conductive properties. Herein, the recent progress regarding the intrinsic structure–property relationship of CNT fibers, as well as the strategies of enhancing their mechanical and conductive properties are briefly summarized, providing helpful guidance for scouting ideally structured CNT fibers for specific flexible electronic applications.

Shampoo assisted aligning of carbon nanotubes toward strong, stiff and conductive fibers

“…The strengthening results by direct stretching are not satisfying, as the nal strength is still low (obtaining a strength of over 3 GPa for forest-spun bers is still very difficult 7,10 ). Therefore, to determine the reason from a structural perspective, the microstructures were characterized with SEM for the direct stretched samples (Fig.…”

“…Improving the orientation of CNT (alignment and straightness describe the orientation from different perspectives 10 ) is one of the most efficient strategies for strengthening CNT bers. 6,7 Stretching/ drawing 16 and twisting 17,18 make CNTs more orderly and dense, yet the strengthening results are far less than expected. Polymer inltration is another successful strategy because of enhanced adhesion [19][20][21][22] and intertube friction 23 between CNTs.…”

“…Carbon nanotube (CNT) bers, assembled structures of millions of interlaced CNTs, have shown excellent mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, as summarized in many recent reviews. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Compared to individual CNTs, whose strength and modulus reach 100 GPa and 1 TPa, 8 the mechanical properties of CNT bers still remain poorer (so far, increasing the strength to 4-5 GPa remains very difficult), because of imperfect assembly in terms of poor CNT alignment, loose densication, and weak intertube interactions. 6 Recently, Bai et al 9 assembled tens of individual CNTs into a long and straight bundle and obtained a maximum strength of 80 GPa (43 GPa for the entire cross-sectional area).…”

3D Assembly of Graphene Nanomaterials for Advanced Electronics

“…Thus, in the context of advanced electrically conductive devices, the recent research efforts to control the 3D organization of graphene at nanoscopic, microscopic, and macroscopic lengthscales is remarkable. Although numerous reviews have tackled the assembly of smart electronics, flexible electronics, 3D printed electronics, self‐assembly, and nanomanufacturing, there is a knowledge gap about the synthesis, fabrication, and controlled microstructure in 3D graphene‐based electronic nanomaterials with multifunctional properties.…”

Time-Stability Dispersion of MWCNTs for the Improvement of Mechanical Properties of Portland Cement Specimens

“…The inclusion of nano additives [1], nanostructured materials [2][3][4], nano reinforcements [5] and hybridization of hydrates with organic molecules [6] improves the mechanical features of the cement matrix through the interaction with calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) cementitious [7]. Meanwhile, Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) have demonstrated a significant improvement of mechanical resistance in the cementitious matrix, due to the filling of microcracks, pores and bonds between the surface and the matrix [8][9][10][11][12]. Besides, it enables the transduction of a mechanical strain into a change of the electrical resistance and it transformed into a self-sensing cement-based material, which would have great potential for structural health monitoring, conditions evaluation for concrete structures, highway traffic monitoring, border security and structural vibration control, among others.…”