Soft, highly conductive nanotube sponges and composites with controlled compressibility

ACS Nano. 2010 Apr 27;4(4):2320-6. doi: 10.1021/nn100114d.

Abstract

Porous carbon nanotube networks represent a type of material that can achieve both structural robustness and high flexibility. We demonstrate here controlled synthesis of soft to hard sponges with densities ranging from 5 to 25 mg/cm(3), while retaining a porosity of >99%. The stable sponge-like structure allows excellent compressibility tunable up to 90% volume shrinkage, and the ability to recover most of volume by free expansion. Electrical resistivity of the sponges changes linearly and reversibly after 300 cycles of large-strain compression. Nanotubes forming the three-dimensional scaffold maintain good contact and percolation during large-strain deformation, polymer infiltration, and cross-linking process, suggesting potential applications as strain sensors and conductive nanocomposites.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electric Conductivity*
  • Mechanical Phenomena*
  • Nanocomposites / chemistry*
  • Nanotubes, Carbon / chemistry*
  • Porosity
  • Stress, Mechanical

Substances

  • Nanotubes, Carbon