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Copper–Carbon Nanotube Composites Enabled by Electrospinning for Advanced Conductors
journal contribution
posted on 2020-07-02, 17:08 authored by Kai Li, Michael McGuire, Andrew Lupini, Lydia Skolrood, Fred List, Burak Ozpineci, Soydan Ozcan, Tolga AytugThe
power losses associated with the electrical resistance of copper
(Cu) have generated considerable interest in the development of advanced
conductors that incorporate carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the Cu matrixultraconductive
Cu (UCC) compositesto increase energy efficiency in various
industrial and residential applications, ranging from electric power
transmission and rotating machinery to electronic devices. To meet
this demand, we describe an electrospinning-based polymer nanofiber
templating strategy for the fabrication of UCC composites with electrical
and mechanical performance exceeding that of Cu. Our approach involves
electrospinning of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-based solutions
containing CNTs into aligned PVP/CNT nanofibers onto Cu foil substrates,
followed by vacuum-assisted thermal removal of organic solvent/polymer
from the CNT matrix to achieve a uniformly distributed CNT layer on
the Cu surface. Following additional Cu deposition, the Cu–CNT–Cu
composites demonstrated similar electrical conductivity, higher current
carrying capacity, and improved mechanical properties compared with
those obtained from reference Cu. Importantly, after the heat treatment,
Raman analysis of the CNT network displayed an increased metallic
character that supports the enhanced electrical properties of the
UCC composites. Thus, we believe that these performance characteristics
together with the commercial viability of the present approach could
open new possibilities in designing advanced conductors for a broad
range of electrical systems and industrial applications.