METHOD FOR MAKING CARBON NANOTUBE FILM

• US 20130285289A1
• Filed: 01/13/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing FUNATE Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing FUNATE Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: FENG, CHEN, QIAN, LI, WANG, YU-QUAN, LIU, LIANG
• Granted Patent: US 9,540,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/400
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 67/24 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/164 involving continuous processes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/168 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/04 mainly consisting of carbon-silicon compounds, carbon or silicon

Abstract

A method for making a carbon nanotube film includes the following steps. An original carbon nanotube film is provided and includes a number of carbon nanotubes substantially joined end-to-end by van der Waals force and oriented along a first direction. A patterned carbon nanotube film is formed and defines a number of through holes arranged in at least one row in the first direction, the through holes of the at least one row includes at least two spaced though holes. The patterned carbon nanotube film is treated with a solvent such that the patterned carbon nanotube film is shrunk into the carbon nanotube film includes a number of spaced carbon nanotube linear units and a number of carbon nanotube groups, and the carbon nanotube groups are joined with the carbon nanotube linear units by van der Waals force.

Claims

1. A method for making a carbon nanotube film, comprising:

providing an original carbon nanotube film comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially joined end-to-end by van der Waals force and oriented along a first direction;

forming a patterned carbon nanotube film by patterning the original carbon nanotube film to define a plurality of through holes arranged in at least one row in the first direction, the through holes of the at least one row comprising at least two spaced though holes; and

treating the patterned carbon nanotube film with a solvent such that the patterned carbon nanotube film is shrunk into the carbon nanotube film comprising a plurality of spaced carbon nanotube linear units and a plurality of carbon nanotube groups, and the plurality of carbon nanotube groups are joined with the plurality of carbon nanotube linear units by van der Waals force.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a shape of each through hole is circular, elliptical, triangular, or quadrangular.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a shape of each through hole is a parallelogram, a trapezia, rectangular, a square, or a rhombus.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a shape of each through hole is linear.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a space between adjacent through holes in the same row is greater than or equal to 0.1 millimeters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein an effective diameter of each through hole is greater than or equal to 0.1 millimeters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of the patterned carbon nanotube film comprises using a laser beam or an electron beam to irradiate the original carbon nanotube film to define the through holes in the original carbon nanotube film.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of the patterned carbon nanotube film comprises patterning the original carbon nanotube film to form the through holes, and the through holes are separated from each other and arranged in one row along the first direction in the original carbon nanotube film.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of the patterned carbon nanotube film comprises patterning the original carbon nanotube film to form the through holes, and the through holes are separated from each other and arranged in a plurality of rows along the first direction in the original carbon nanotube film.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the through holes are arranged in a plurality of columns along a second direction in the original carbon nanotube film, the through holes arranged in a same column are spaced from each other, the second direction is crossed with the first direction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a length of each through hole in the first direction is greater than a space between adjacent through holes in the second direction.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein spaces between adjacent through holes in the second direction is greater than widths of the through holes in the second direction.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the through holes are interlaced with each other in a second direction crossed with the first direction.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the original carbon nanotube film comprises providing a carbon nanotube array;

and drawing the original carbon nanotube film from the carbon nanotube array substantially along the first direction.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the forming of the patterned carbon nanotube film comprises:

fixing one end of the original carbon nanotube film on a fixing element and suspending the original carbon nanotube film between the fixing element and the carbon nanotube array; and

then using a laser beam or an electron beams irradiate the original carbon nanotube film to form the patterned carbon nanotube film.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating the patterned carbon nanotube film using the solvent comprises:

suspending the patterned carbon nanotube film; and

then dropping or spraying the solvent onto the patterned carbon nanotube film to soak the patterned carbon nanotube film.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the solvent is selected from at least one of the group consisting of alcohol, methanol, acetone, dichloroethane, chloroform, and water.

18. A method for making a carbon nanotube film, comprising:

providing an original carbon nanotube film comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially joined end-to-end by van der Waals force and oriented along a first direction;

forming a patterned carbon nanotube film defining at least two through holes arranged in the first direction, wherein the patterned carbon nanotube film is divided into a plurality of connecting parts and at least two extending parts by the at least two through holes, the plurality of connecting parts are arranged in at last one row and spaced from each other by the at least two through holes along the first direction at the same row, the at least two extending parts extend along the first direction and are spaced from each other along a second direction crossing with the first direction; and

treating the patterned carbon nanotube film using a solvent such that the connecting parts of the patterned carbon nanotube film is shrunk into a plurality of carbon nanotube groups and the at least two extending parts of the patterned carbon nanotube film is shrunk into at least two carbon nanotube linear units.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the forming of the patterned carbon nanotube film comprises:

using a laser beam or an electron beams irradiate the original carbon nanotube film to define a plurality of through holes arranged in an array in the original carbon nanotube film, and the patterned carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of connecting parts and a plurality of extending parts, the plurality of connecting parts are arranged in an array, and the plurality of extending parts are separate from each other in the second direction by the plurality of extending parts and the plurality of through holes.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a shape of each through hole is a rectangle, a square, or a rhombus, or a linear structure.