Peking University: New breakthrough in high-performance carbon nanotube fibers

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Recently, Researcher Zou Ruqiang and Professor Wang Qining from Peking University collaborated to propose a nanotechnology-based strategy that successfully combined ultra-low-content carbon nanotube scaffolds with three-dimensional interpenetrating polymer networks to produce high-performance phase-change fibers. This fiber achieves a significant synergy between crystallinity control and efficient heat regulation, exhibiting excellent latent heat storage capacity, outstanding mechanical robustness, and high-efficiency photothermal energy collection. Its fiber structure ensures a cutting/sewing fidelity of over 98% during textile manufacturing, paving the way for the scalable production of efficient heat-regulating fabrics and bridging the gap between laboratory-phase change engineering and industrial-grade wearable thermal systems. The related paper, titled “Ultralow CNT-reinforced phase-change fibers for scalable wearable thermoregulation,” was published in Nature Communications. The researchers first demonstrated the complete fabrication process from carbon-based phase-change composites to fibers, then to fabrics, and finally to smart clothing (Figure 1). By uniformly dispersing carbon nanotubes in liquid docosane and then melt-blending SEBS and HDPE polymers in sequence, they created a three-dimensional interpenetrating network structure that securely encapsulated the phase-change material within it. Ultimately, continuous and uniform carbon nanotube-reinforced phase change fibers were prepared through a two-component melt spinning and multi-stage stretching process. This fiber achieves an optimal balance between latent heat and mechanical properties at extremely low carbon nanotube contents.