The development of methods for assembling nanomaterials into macroscopic scaffold materials is crucial for the current development of nanotechnology. However, even though carbon nanotube fibers have superior performance,
However, the complexity of preparation methods greatly hinders the widespread application of new materials.
Recently, Hyeon Su Jeong and Seung Min Kim from the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, as well as Chong Rae Park from Seoul National University, collaborated to demonstrate the feasibility of an efficient and continuous fiber spinning method for producing high-performance carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers (CNTFs). The research findings were published in the internationally renowned comprehensive academic journal Nature Communications under the title "Direct spinning and identification method for high performance carbon nanotube fibers".
In this work, researchers proposed an optimized spinning method that combines the advantages of wet spinning and direct spinning methods to quickly and continuously produce highly aligned and densified CNTFs. When CNTF directly spun is immersed in chlorosulfonic acid (CSA), CSA permeates and protonates CNT, causing CNTF to expand. In this state, stretching the CNTF appropriately can rearrange and wrap the CNT to improve its axial alignment. Then, when the CNTF is immersed in the coagulation bath, CSA is extruded from the well arranged CNTFs through phase separation driven by poor solubility to form a high filled CNTF with a well arranged structure. From synthesizing carbon nanotubes to preparing highly dense and neatly arranged CNTFs, the processing time is less than 1 minute. By optimizing the direct spinning conditions, researchers have successfully prepared highly oriented and dense carbon nanotubes. The newly prepared carbon nanotubes have a tensile strength of 4.44N/tex and a specific conductivity of 2270S □ m2/kg.
This work clearly demonstrates that optimizing the densification process at an appropriate degree of protonation (DOP) and improving the spinning conditions of initial CNTFs are crucial for achieving high densification efficiency and improving the performance of carbon nanotubes. The CNTFs prepared by this method have advantages such as light weight, tensile resistance, high hardness, good conductivity, and high flexibility, making them suitable for various high value-added applications.
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