Carbon nanotubes with temperature-invariant viscoelasticity from -196 degrees to 1000 degrees C

Science. 2010 Dec 3;330(6009):1364-8. doi: 10.1126/science.1194865.

Abstract

Viscoelasticity describes the ability of a material to possess both elasticity and viscosity. Viscoelastic materials, such as rubbers, possess a limited operational temperature range (for example, for silicone rubber it is -55° to 300°C), above which the material breaks down and below which the material undergoes a glass transition and hardens. We created a viscoelastic material composed from a random network of long interconnected carbon nanotubes that exhibited an operational temperature range from -196° to 1000°C. The storage and loss moduli, frequency stability, reversible deformation level, and fatigue resistance were invariant from -140° to 600°C. We interpret that the thermal stability stems from energy dissipation through the zipping and unzipping of carbon nanotubes at contacts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't