Starting in the mid-1990s, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were hyped as the all-encompassing new superfiber: stronger, stiffer, and more conductive than any of the existing leading materials—aramids, carbon fibers, and metals.  However, manufacturing hurdles on synthesis of CNTs and assembly into ordered macrostructures led to macroscopic materials with disappointing properties, leading to the disillusionment of the late 2000s. Synthesis and processing converged in the early 2010s to yield the first application-relevant CNT macro-materials, with attractive specific (per unit mass) strength and conductivity and a combination of properties that is outside the range of known materials—most strikingly, flexibility and softness comparable to polymers and textile fibers.<br/> <br/>I will discuss recent understanding of structure-processing-properties on CNT materials, focusing on mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and flexibility.  In well-aligned fibers, strength and conductivity scale with the aspect ratio of the constituent CNTs, pointing to a way to increase properties further, to levels that will be compelling for the aerospace industry.  Bending stiffness scales weakly with sample thickness, in contrast to the behavior of monolithic materials; this is opening opportunities for CNT materials as wearable and implantable sensors.<br/>

Progress on high-performance carbon nanotubes materials

2019 Spring National Meeting

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