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Carbon nanotube fibre : it has the makings of something great !
Carbon nanotubes are made up of the same elementary layers that graphite is made of, wound on themselves. Strongest objects known to date, they also exhibit excellent thermal and electrical conductivity that makes them fit for many applications : lightweight composites, high mechanical performance conductors, actuators or artificial muscles, smart textiles, sensors…
However, to benefit from these properties, they must be assembled at a macroscopic scale. This has been achieved by a team of researchers from Bordeaux who have developed a process for producing a macroscopic fibre made of carbon nanotubes. Initially dispersed in an aqueous solution and stabilised by surfactants, the nanotubes are spun via coagulation in solution by injecting the dispersion of nanotubes in the flow of an aqueous solution of coagulating polymer. These conductive fibres have rupture energies (energy that the fibre is able to absorb as deformation before it breaks) five times higher than those of spider silk, a material previously unmatched.
This strength is a desired property for protective textiles such as helmets, gloves, handler’s clothing or bullet-proof vests. The electrical conductivity suggests the possibility of producing conductive textiles : antistatic upholstery fabrics, heated car seats or textiles, deformation or motion sensing clothes…
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