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Nanotube fibers simply spun Limitless lengths of carbon nanotube fibers can be spun during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis of carbon nanotubes, according to a report by researchers from the University of Cambridge [Science, published online March 11, http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1094982v1]. While there are other ways of making carbon nanotube fibers, they all involve an initial nanotube synthesis step followed by a post-processing step. Now, materials science professor Alan H. Windle and postdocs Ya-Li Li and Ian A. Kinloch report that they can make the fibers (shown twisted into a rope) in a one-step process. They use a rotating rod to mechanically draw the fibers from the "elastic smoke" of nanotube aerogel formed in the CVD process. By adjusting reagent concentrations, temperature, and hydrogen flow rates, the team can make either single-walled nanotube fibers or multiwalled nanotube fibers. Furthermore, Windle's group contends that this simple production method is both relatively cheap and environmentally friendly |
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