CARBON NANOTUBE CONDUCTOR WITH ENHANCED ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY

• US 20140314949A1
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Starkovich, John A.
• Application Number:
  US14/323,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20140314949A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/113
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2256/00 Wires or fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/12 to obtain a coating with specific electrical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 7/20 to wires for insulating electric cables H01B13/16
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/00 Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/48 Ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/04 mainly consisting of carbon-silicon compounds, carbon or silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/0036 Details

Abstract

A method includes the steps of receiving a conductor element formed from a plurality of carbon nanotubes; and exposing the conductor element to a controlled amount of a dopant so as to increase the conductance of the conductor element to a desired value, wherein the dopant is one of bromine, iodine, chloroauric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydroiodic acid, nitric acid, and potassium tetrabromoaurate. A method includes the steps of receiving a conductor element formed from a plurality of carbon nanotubes; and exposing the conductor element to a controlled amount of a dopant solution comprising one of chloroauric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, and potassium tetrabromoaurate, so as to increase the conductance of the conductor element to a desired value.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a conductor element formed from a plurality of multi-wall carbon nanotubes; and

exposing the conductor element exohedrally to a controlled amount of a dopant so as to increase the conductance of the conductor element to a desired value,

wherein the dopant is one of bromine, iodine, chloroauric acid, hydroiodic acid, nitric acid, and potassium tetrabromoaurate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dopant comprises chloroauric acid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dopant comprises bromine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the dopant comprises chloroauric acid, wherein the dopant further comprises bromine, and wherein the two dopants are applied sequentially.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the conductivity is enhanced by a factor greater than the enhancement produced by a dopant comprising chloroauric acid.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the conductivity is enhanced by a factor greater than the enhancement produced by a dopant comprising bromine.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductor element comprises CNT cable.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the CNT cable comprises one or more twisted stranded conductors.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the CNT cable comprises one or more shielded cables.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductor element comprises CNT sheet material.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductor element comprises CNT tape.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductor element comprises CNT film.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductor element comprises CNT powder.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductor element comprises one of CNT non-woven materials and CNT woven materials.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductor element comprises multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWNT) yarn.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the conductivity is enhanced by a factor that is approximately linearly related to the amount of bromine dopant.

4-5. -5. (canceled)

9-10. -10. (canceled)