Super-robust, lightweight, conducting carbon nanotube blocks cross-linked by de-fluorination

作者：Sato Yoshinori^*; Ootsubo Makoto; Yamamoto Go; Van Lier Gregory; Terrones Mauricio; Hashiguchi Shinji; Kimura Hisamichi; Okubo Akira; Motomiya Kenichi; Jeyadevan Balachandran; Hashida Toshiyuki; Tohji Kazuyuki

来源：ACS Nano, 2008, 2(2): 348-356.

DOI：10.1021/nn700324z

• carbon nanotubes
• blocks
• fluorine
• binder-free
• strength
• conducting
• solidification

We produced large binder-free multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) blocks from fluorinated MWNTs using thermal heating and a compressing method in vacuo. This technique resulted in the formation of covalent MWNT networks generated by the introduction of Sp(3)-hybridized carbon atoms that cross-link between nanotubes upon de-fluorination. The resulting carbon nanotube blocks are lighter than graphite, can be machined and polished, and possess average bending strengths of 102.2 MPa, a bending modulus of 15.4 GPa, and an electrical conductivity of 2.1 X 10(2) S/cm. Although each nanotube exhibits a random structure in these blocks, the mechanical properties are 3 times higher than those obtained for commercial graphite. On the basis of theoretical molecular dynamics simulations, a model is presented for the nanotube interconnecting mechanism upon de-fluorination.

• 出版日期2008-2