Abstract
This perspective article describes the application opportunities of carbon nanotube (CNT) films for the energy sector. Up to date progress in this regard is illustrated with representative examples of a wide range of energy management and transformation studies employing CNT ensembles. Firstly, this paper features an overview of how such macroscopic networks from nanocarbon can be produced. Then, the capabilities for their application in specific energy-related scenarios are described. Among the highlighted cases are conductive coatings, charge storage devices, thermal interface materials, and actuators. The selected examples demonstrate how electrical, thermal, radiant, and mechanical energy can be converted from one form to another using such formulations based on CNTs. The article is concluded with a future outlook, which anticipates the next steps which the research community will take to bring these concepts closer to implementation.
Highlights
The global energy demand continues to rise at a staggering rate
One must keep in mind that the triple point of carbon at atmospheric pressure is at 3630 ◦ C [96], while copper is already molten at 1085 ◦ C [97], which acts in favor of the carbon nanotube (CNT)
The results showed that the metallic CNT films had a slightly higher electrical conductivity, but their
Summary
The global energy demand continues to rise at a staggering rate. Ritchie and Roser showed that in the last 100 years, world energy consumption increased from ca. 18,000 TWh in the 1920s to ca. 160,000 TWh in 2018 [1]. The characterization of carbon nanomaterials has demonstrated that they have enormous utility potential in energy conversion and storage [19,20,21] applications, especially when used in the form of the aforementioned networks. In this perspective article, the most promising exploitation areas for macroscopic CNT films for energy management are showcased. Transparent coatings are not considered extensively in this article, so readers are advised to seek information regarding this topic in other dedicated reviews [22,23]
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