Strong and Highly Conductive Carbon Nanotube Fibers\nas Conducting Wires for Wearable Electronics

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers (CNTFs)\nhave potential for use as\nconducting wires in wearable electronics, but this application requires\nsignificant improvement in the mechanical and electrical properties\nof CNTFs. This work describes the correlation between the synthesis\nconditions and the properties of CNTFs according to the configuration\nof the injection tube during the direct spinning process. Adjusting\nthe configuration of the injection tube is highly effective in improving\nthe synthesis of CNTFs because the gas flow pattern critically affects\nthe synthesis. CNTFs synthesized from reactants injected into the\nhigh-temperature region of the reactor are composed of CNTs with a\nuniform diameter and have a denser internal structure than CNTFs synthesized\nfrom reactants injected into the low-temperature region. As-spun CNTFs\nwith a specific strength of up to 2.29 N/tex (average: 2.03 N/tex)\nwere synthesized by directly injecting the reactants into the high-temperature\nregion using a long injection tube. This study increases the understanding\nof how synthesis conditions affect the specific strength of as-spun\nCNTFs and demonstrates the significance of properly designing the\nreactor configurations.