University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) nanotechnologists have successfully combined chemical-loaded carbon nanotubes into textile fabrics, possibly leading to wearable lightweight batteries and other high-tech fabrics.
With a network of nanotubes impregnated via sprayed-on powdered metal oxide boron and magnesium, with the powder coating making up 95-99% of the total weight, the coated fibers form the basis of a super lightweight battery. The fabric can also be sewn, knitted, knotted, twisted into woven yarn and washed, all without affecting the coated nanotube characteristics.
More conventional methods of impregnating fabric with chemicals rely upon a polymer binder that is less adaptable, more fragile, and not as long lasting. In the journal Science, UT Dallas researchers described how their “bi-scrolling” nanotube yarns were surface coated with two chemical powder layers and then twisted into a yarn.
“In this study, we demonstrated the feasibility of using our bi-scrolled yarns for applications ranging from superconducting cables to electronic textiles, batteries and fuel cells,” explained Dr. Ray H. Baughman director of the UT Dallas NanoTech Institute. The carbon nanotube webs can be made to be lighter than air and stronger than steel. Just 4oz. (114g) of the nano-webs would cover an acre (43,500sq.ft, 4,047sq.m) of land and are about a thousand times thinner than a human hair, according to the UT Dallas.
The researchers used metal oxide powder to make high-performance lithium ion batteries and self-cleaning fabrics with photocatalytic powder. Nitrogen-containing carbon nanotubes produced highly catalytic yarns for use in the chemical generation of electricity, avoiding the need for expensive platinum catalyst, as well as powerful nanotube magnets and high efficiency underground electrical transmission lines.
It seems that carbon nanotube textiles are all the rage, with other universities such as Rice University and Stanford University both developing their own coated nanotube technology for everyday applications.
Via University of Texas & Ecouterre
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