Thermotropic flash assembly energy of carbon nanotube in liquid phase based on electrical energy

Abstract

In order to open the black box of carbon nanotube (CNT) growth, a thermotropic flash assembly (TFA) process in liquid phase at room temperature was innovatively proposed. The thermotropic assembly of CNTs via universal CVD method and an innovative TFA process were described in detail. The equivalent space of CNT growth on the surface of carbon fiber (CF) and different energy models were constructed for the TFA process. The growth equation of CNTs in the TFA process was derived for the first time, and the energy required to grow CNTs per unit mass was calculated to be 0.0214 kWh/g based on the growth conditions, which provided a basis for the growth of CNTs in different types of conductive media and the precise control of interface modification. Interestingly, different nanostructures (such as CNTs, nanolamellae, and nanoflower clusters) were found to grow on the CF surface in the TFA process. Moreover, the evolution process and the growth mechanism of CNTs in the TFA process were analyzed in detail. The analysis results were necessary to calculate the energy required for CNT growth. The power spectra of the continuous TFA and CVD processes were obtained online, and the input energy characteristics of the two processes were compared and calculated. It was concluded that the TFA process had superior homogeneity and stability in this respect, and it was an energy-conserving and efficient method of CNT growth. Therefore, the TFA process provided a new model for CNT growth, and the opened black box provided the possibility to deeply explore the mechanism of in situ thermotropic flash assembly of CNTs.