Tailoring physical properties of carbon nanotube threads during assembly

Abstract

Spinnable carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are useful formats for studying physical properties of CNT fiber assemblies in their pristine states. They are free of catalyst, uniform in length, with a comparatively narrow diameter distribution, and their assembly into thread does not require additional chemicals or solvents. Good quality drawable CNT arrays can be readily assembled into uniform diameter threads with great control over the number of CNTs incorporated into the thread assembly. This uniformity allows study the physical properties that result from changes that occur during thread formation. Here, we report trends of electrical resistivity and mechanical strength that resulted from alterations in their manufacturing parameters, allowing to change intrinsic physical properties of a material such as electrical resistivity. We correlate the electrical resistivity and mechanical strength as a function of diameter, density, and turns/meter. Understanding the effects of dry-spinning parameters will allow a better design of the physical properties of CNT threads for specific applications, such as strain or electrochemical sensors.