Method for making composite carbon nanotube structure

• US 8,476,357 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Liu, Kai, Sun, Ying-Hui, Jiang, Kai-Li, Fan, Shou-Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): CAIN, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US12/960,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20110319522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 523/222, 524/495, 524/496
• US Class Current: 524/495
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2333/12 Homopolymers or copolymers of methyl methacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/005 Reinforced macromolecular compounds with nanosized materials, e.g. nanoparticles, nanofibres, nanotubes, nanowires, nanorods or nanolayered materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/04 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/041 Carbon nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/0008 Organic ingredients according to more than one of the "one dot" groups of C08K5/01 - C08K5/59
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 7/24 inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/12 Polypropene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/18 Homopolymers or copolymers of nitriles

Abstract

A method for making a composite carbon nanotube structure includes the following steps. An organic solvent, a polymer, and a carbon nanotube structure are provided. The polymer is dissolved in the organic solvent to obtain a polymer solution. The carbon nanotube structure is soaked with the polymer solution. A contact angle between the organic solvent and a carbon nanotube is less than 90 degrees.

Claims

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

providing an organic solvent and a polymer;

dissolving the polymer in the organic solvent to obtain a polymer solution; and

applying a carbon nanotube structure in the polymer solution to composite the polymer and the carbon nanotube structure, the carbon nanotube structure being a free-standing structure and comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes, a contact angle between the organic solvent and the carbon nanotubes being less than 90 degrees.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact angle between the solvent and the carbon nanotubes is less than or equal to 70 degrees.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the organic solvent has a surface tension greater than or equal to about 20 millimeters per newton.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the surface tension of the organic solvent is greater than or equal to about 40 millimeters per newton.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the organic solvent is selected from the group consisting of dimethyl sulphoxide, dimethyl formamide, 2,5-dimethyl furan, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl alcohol, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinylchloride, polyethylene terephthalate, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer is polyacrylonitrile, the organic solvent is dimethyl sulphoxide, and a mass ratio between the polyacrylonitrile and the dimethyl sulphoxide is from about 1 percent to about 9 percent.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a polymerization degree of the polyacrylonitrile is in a range from about 1750 to about 3300.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube structure comprises a carbon nanotube wire, the carbon nanotubes of the carbon nanotube wire being joined end to end by van der Waals attractive force therebetween.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the carbon nanotube structure comprises a plurality of carbon nanotube wires substantially parallel to each other, crossed with each other, or woven together.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the carbon nanotube structure comprises a plurality of carbon nanotube wires substantially parallel to each other, or crossed with each other, adjacent carbon nanotube wires are combined and attracted to each other by van der Waals attractive force therebetween.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the carbon nanotubes of the carbon nanotube wire are substantially oriented along an axis of the carbon nanotube wire.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the carbon nanotubes of the carbon nanotube wire are helically oriented around an axis of the carbon nanotube wire.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising vaporizing the organic solvent from the composite carbon nanotube structure composited by the polymer and the carbon nanotube structure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a mass ratio between the polymer and the composite carbon nanotube structure containing the polymer is in a range from about 2.5 percent to about 21.5 percent.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer is infiltrated into intertube spaces defined in the carbon nanotube structure.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the intertube spaces comprise spaces defined among the carbon nanotubes and spaces defined by inner surfaces of the carbon nanotubes.

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

providing an organic solvent, a pre-polymer, and a carbon nanotube structure, the carbon nanotube being a free-standing structure and comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes, a contact angle between the organic solvent and the carbon nanotubes being less than 90 degrees;

dissolving the pre-polymer in the organic solvent to obtain a polymer solution;

soaking the carbon nanotube structure with the pre-polymer solution; and

polymerizing the pre-polymer infiltrated into the carbon nanotube structure to obtain a polymer.