Industrialization may be cost-efficient technology elastic nanotube airgel

Porous material, for example: nano airgel, metal foam, in the light load-bearing structure, heat insulation device, the energy absorbing molecule absorbent material and plays an important role. Wherein the carbon nanotube aerogels because of its excellent electrical, thermal and mechanical properties occupies a very important position in the porous material. But how efficiently produced at low cost structure and stable carbon nanotube airgel has been a bottleneck restricting its industrialization. Recently, Professor and CAS Northern Min of Nano the researchers developed the Liqing Wen together a high elasticity carbon nanotube aerogels prepared at low cost and efficient techniques, may be prepared each 1.5 m long, 1 m wide, 5-10 cm thick ultra-light carbon nanotube aerogels. Unlike traditional solution synthesis method used, they are grown directly by chemical deposition of carbon nanotubes in a gas phase aerogels. Then, by the secondary growth process of carbon nanotubes in the airgel at the lap joint is welded together in the shape of carbon fixation. Having ultra-high structure stability and elasticity, it can be freely bent extruded, stretched at 25%, does not collapse in the case of 95% compression and removed in the case where force is applied immediately return to its original shape. In this way the whole synthesis process in the gas phase, highly enlarged, has good application prospect. Meanwhile, the carbon nanotube aerogels also have very good electrical conductivity and environmental stability. Stretching can maintain stable resistance 25%, 35% compression, bending, temperature, moisture, and the organic solution environment, is a good elastic conductive material. The greatest significance of this study is to provide an efficient way of technical preparation of carbon nanotube aerogels, carbon nanotube airgel for industrial applications has important implications.