【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】Chinese Academy of Sciences scientists develop a carbon nanotube superplastic suitable for 3D printing

Thread Content

Recently, the Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other institutions have developed an in-situ carbon nanotube-polymer fusion and thermal processing technique that can be scaled up for production, enabling the successful creation of carbon nanotube superplastics (CNTSP) with both ultra-high performance and excellent processability. This material possesses directed high thermal conductivity, as well as high strength and high conductivity, and can be used to create various structures through 3D printing or hot pressing, offering a new solution for efficient heat management in electronic devices. The research team prepared long carbon nanotube networks using the floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition method, and by immersing them in a polyamide 6 (PA6)/formic acid solution, they achieved a carbon nanotube loading of up to 59 wt%. This process not only preserves the original high aspect ratio of the carbon nanotubes but also promotes their spontaneous fusion with polymer molecules, effectively improving the orientation and packing density of the carbon nanotubes. This unique microstructure endows carbon nanotubes with excellent thermal properties typical of superplastics, as well as highly directional heat transfer characteristics, alongside superior mechanical and electrical properties. Through a series of experiments, the team verified the excellent application potential of CNTSP in the field of thermal management. More importantly, this process exhibits good versatility; in addition to PA6, it can be applied to various engineering plastics such as polyethylene 7-pyrrolopyrrolidone, polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, and polyetherketone ketone. The CNTSP materials produced using this method exhibit thermal and electrical properties that are two orders of magnitude better than those of pure polymers, while still maintaining excellent processability. This not only meets the demand for high-performance materials in fields such as aerospace and new energy, but also opens up new avenues for the development of high-performance polymer-based composites.