Carbon nanotube fiber spun from wetted ribbon

• US 8,709,372 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRIAD National Security, LLC
• Original Assignee: Los Alamos National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Zhu, Yuntian T., Arendt, Paul, Zhang, Xiefei, Li, Qingwen, Fu, Lei, Zheng, Lianxi
• Primary Examiner(s): MATZEK, MATTHEW D
• Application Number:
  US12/286,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20090208742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 977/734, 977/742, 977/750, 977/752, 977/753, 264/103, 264/104, 264/105, 423/414, 423/445.R, 423/447.1
• US Class Current: 423/447.1
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/02 performed by spraying
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/18 performed by dipping
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/60 Deposition of organic layers from vapour phase vapour phase deposition in general C23C14/00, C23C16/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2256/00 Wires or fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2505/00 Polyamides
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2508/00 Polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/002 Pretreatement
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/005 characterised by the choice of material B29C53/36 and B29C53/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0078 Producing filamentary materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2313/02 coated
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/707 Cables, i.e. two or more filaments combined together, e.g. ropes, cords, strings, yarns filamentary material B29L2031/731, electric cables B29L2031/3462, optical cables B29L2011/0075
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/168 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/12 Carbon filaments; Apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: D02G 3/02 Yarns or threads characterised by the material or by the materials from which they are made
• CPC Class Codes: D02G 3/36 Cored or coated yarns or threads D02G3/34, D02G3/40 take precedence; elastic yarns or threads D02G3/32
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/333 of vinyl acetate; Polyvinylalcohol
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 2101/40 Fibres of carbon
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2918 including free carbon or carbide or therewith [not as steel]

Abstract

A fiber of carbon nanotubes was prepared by a wet-spinning method involving drawing carbon nanotubes away from a substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes to form a ribbon, wetting the ribbon with a liquid, and spinning a fiber from the wetted ribbon. The liquid can be a polymer solution and after forming the fiber, the polymer can be cured. The resulting fiber has a higher tensile strength and higher conductivity compared to dry-spun fibers and to wet-spun fibers prepared by other methods.

Claims

1. A method for spinning a fiber of carbon nanotubes, comprising:

drawing carbon nanotubes away from a substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes to form a ribbon, the array of carbon nanotubes having an average carbon nanotube height of about 0.3 mm or about 0.5 mm,

the carbon nanotubes having an average diameter of about 7 nm and a majority of the carbon nanotubes being double-walled carbon nanotubes,

wetting the ribbon of carbon nanotubes with a liquid polymer present at from about 0.1% to about 2% to form a wetted ribbon of carbon nanotubes,

spinning a fiber from said wetted ribbon of carbon nanotubes, wherein spinning comprises twisting wetted carbon nanotubes of the wetted ribbon around each other as carbon nanotubes are drawn away from said substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes,

the fiber having an tensile strength greater by at least about 5% as compared to a fiber prepared by immersing a supported array of carbon nanotubes in the liquid comprising a polymer and spinning the carbon nanotubes into a fiber under comparable conditions, and

the fiber having a tensile strength of greater than 0.90 GPa.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of wetting the carbon nanotubes of the ribbon occurs before the carbon nanotubes are spun into a fiber.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of wetting occurs as carbon nanotubes are being twisted around each other during the spinning step.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising drying the fiber.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises an organic liquid, an inorganic liquid, or a combination of organic liquid and inorganic liquid.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid is chosen from a hydrocarbon, a halogenated hydrocarbon, an alcohol, an ester, and ether, an amide, and an acid.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises a polymer dissolved in solvent.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises a solution of poly(vinylalcohol).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises a polymer dissolved in a solvent, and wherein the method after spinning the fiber from the wetted ribbon further comprises removing the solvent and curing the polymer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises a monomer dissolved in solvent.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises a monomer dissolved in a solvent, and wherein the method after spinning a fiber from a wetted ribbon further comprises removing the solvent and polymerizing the monomer to a polymer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises a monomer dissolved in a solvent, and wherein the method after spinning a fiber from a wetted ribbon further comprises removing the solvent, polymerizing the monomer to a polymer, and curing the polymer.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising preparing a substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of wetting the ribbon with liquid comprises passing the ribbon through a liquid, spraying the ribbon with a liquid, or passing the ribbon through a supersaturated vapor.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the fiber has a tensile strength that is greater than the tensile strength of a fiber spun from said method excluding the step of wetting the ribbon.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the majority of the carbon nanotubes of the substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes are doublewalled carbon nanotubes.

17. A fiber of carbon nanotubes prepared by a method comprising:

drawing carbon nanotubes away from a substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes to form a ribbon, the array of carbon nanotubes having an average carbon nanotube height of about 0.3 mm or about 0.5 mm,

the carbon nanotubes having an average diameter of about 7 nm, and a majority of the carbon nanotubes being double-walled carbon nanotubes;

wetting the ribbon with a liquid comprising a polymer present at from about 0.1% to about 2% to form a wetted ribbon,

spinning a fiber from wetted ribbon, wherein spinning comprises twisting the carbon nanotubes of the wetted ribbon around each other as the carbon nanotubes are drawn away from the substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes,

the fiber having an tensile strength greater by at least about 5% as compared to a fiber prepared by immersing a supported array of carbon nanotubes in the liquid comprising a polymer and spinning the carbon nanotubes into a fiber under comparable conditions, and

the fiber having a tensile strength of greater than 0.90 GPa.

18. The fiber of claim 17, wherein the majority of the carbon nanotubes have an average diameter of about 7 nanometers.

19. The fiber of claim 17, wherein the polymer comprises poly(vinylalcohol).

20. The fiber of claim 17, wherein the fiber has a smaller diameter compared to a fiber prepared by immersing a supported array of carbon nanotubes in the liquid comprising the polymer and spinning the carbon nanotubes into a fiber under comparable conditions.

21. A method of preparing a fiber of carbon nanotubes, comprising:

drawing carbon nanotubes away from a substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes to form a ribbon, the array of carbon nanotubes having an average carbon nanotube height of about 0.3 mm or about 0.5 mm,

the carbon nanotubes having an average diameter of about 7 nm and the majority of the carbon nanotubes being double-walled carbon nanotubes,

wetting the ribbon with a liquid comprising a polymer present at from about 0.1% to about 2% to form a wetted ribbon,

spinning a fiber from wetted ribbon, wherein spinning comprises twisting the carbon nanotubes of the wetted ribbon around each other as the carbon nanotubes are drawn away from the substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes,

the fiber having an tensile strength greater by at least about 5% as compared to a fiber prepared by immersing a supported array of carbon nanotubes in the liquid comprising a polymer and spinning the carbon nanotubes into a fiber under comparable conditions, and

the fiber having a tensile strength of greater than 0.90 GPa.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the polymer comprises poly(vinylalcohol).