Electrically Conductive Composite Material

• US 20110209894A1
• Filed: 07/26/2010
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Original Assignee: Space Administration, The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Inventors: Roberson, Luke B., Gibson, Tracy L., Tate, Lanetra C., Jolley, Scott T., Smith, Trent M., Williams, Martha K.
• Application Number:
  US12/843,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20110209894A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/107
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/008 on air- or spacecraft, railway rolling stock or sea-going vessels
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/085 in power transmission or distribution lines, e.g. overhead
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/58 Testing of lines, cables or conductors testing of electric windings G01R31/72
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/04 mainly consisting of carbon-silicon compounds, carbon or silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/22 the conductive material comprising metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/24 the conductive material comprising carbon-silicon compounds, carbon or silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 3/306 Polyimides or polyesterimides
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/328 comprising violation sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2852 Adhesive compositions

Abstract

A composite material formed of electrically conductive metalized carbon fibers, a thin metal coating or a composite material formed of a conductive polymer and metal nanoparticles.

Claims

1. A composite material comprising:

electrically conductive metalized carbon fibers coated with

an electrically insulative polymer.

2. The composite material of claim 1 wherein the composite material is a cloth having an average thickness of less than 20 mils.

3. The composite material of claim 2 wherein the composite material is flexible.

4. The composite material of claim 1 comprising an adhesive layer, wherein the material is an adhesive tape.

5. The composite material of claim 4 wherein the adhesive layer is the electrically insulative polymer.

6. The composite material of claim 1 wherein the metalized carbon fibers are nickel coated carbon fibers.

7. The composite material of claim 1 wherein the metalized carbon fibers comprise carbon nanotubes.

8. The composite material of claim 1 wherein the electrically insulative polymer is a polyimide or a fluoropolymer.

9. An electrical wire comprising:

(a) an electrically conductive wire core, covered with

(b)an electrically insulative material layer, completely or partially covered with

(c) an electrically conductive material layer, covered with

(d) an electrically insulative layer;

wherein layer (c) is (i) a composite material comprising a conductive polymer having amino groups or cationic groups; and

carbon nanotubes covalently modified with acidic groups or hydroxyls;

(ii) a material comprising carbon fibers;

(iii) a thin metal coating;

or (iv) a composite material comprising a conductive polymer and metal nanoparticles.

10. The electrical wire of claim 9 wherein layer (c) is metalized carbon fibers.

11. The electrical wire of claim 10 wherein layer (c) is a carbon cloth coated with metal and is less than 20 mils thick.

12. The electrical wire of claim 9 wherein layer (c) is a thin metal coating less than 20 microns thick and is applied by spraying, sputtering, dip coating, printing, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, plasma spray deposition, or electroplating.

13. The electrical wire of claim 9 wherein layer (c) is a metal coating less than 20 microns thick and is applied by a non-aqueous metal deposition process.

14. The electrical wire of claim 9 wherein layer (c) thin metal coating and the thin metal coating is a metal tape applied by wrap.

15. The electrical wire of claim 9 wherein layer (c) has a conductivity above 100 S/cm and thermal stability above 200°

C.

16. The electrical wire of claim 15 wherein layer (c) has a thermal stability above 250°

C.

17. The electrical wire of claim 9 wherein layer (c) is (ii) a carbon cloth coated with metal, and layers (b) and (d) are layers of an insulating polymer coated on and adherent to the surface of the metal-coated carbon cloth.

18. The electrical wire of claim 9 wherein layer (c) completely covers layer (b).

19. The electrical wire of claim 9 wherein layer (c) is a composite material comprising (i) a conductive polymer having amino groups or cationic groups, and (ii) carbon nanotubes covalently modified with acidic groups or hydroxyls.

20. The electrical wire of claim 19 wherein the carbon nanotubes are covalently modified with sulfonic acid groups.

21. The electrical wire of claim 19 wherein the conducting polymer comprises polyaniline.

22. A wire comprising an electrically conductive wire core surrounded by an electrically insulative layer;

wherein the electrically conductive wire core is metalized carbon fibers and the electrically insulative layer is an electrically insulative polymer.