journal article·2016-02-24Open access

Lightweight, Flexible, High-Performance Carbon Nanotube Cables Made by Scalable Flow Coating

Francesca Mirri, Nathan D. Orloff, Aaron M. Forster, Rana Ashkar, Robert J. Headrick, E. Amram Bengio, Christian J. Long, April Choi, Yimin Luo, Angela R. Hight Walker, Paul Butler, Kalman B. Migler, Matteo Pasquali

Abstract

Coaxial cables for data transmission are ubiquitous in telecommunications, aerospace, automotive, and robotics industries. Yet, the metals used to make commercial cables are unsuitably heavy and stiff. These undesirable traits are particularly problematic in aerospace applications, where weight is at a premium and flexibility is necessary to conform with the distributed layout of electronic components in satellites and aircraft. The cable outer conductor (OC) is usually the heaviest component of modern data cables; therefore, exchanging the conventional metallic OC for lower weight materials with comparable transmission characteristics is highly desirable. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have recently been proposed to replace the metal components in coaxial cables; however, signal attenuation was too high in prototypes produced so far. Here, we fabricate the OC of coaxial data cables by directly coating a solution of CNTs in chlorosulfonic acid (CSA) onto the cable inner dielectric. This coating has an electrical conductivity that is approximately 2 orders of magnitude greater than the best CNT OC reported in the literature to date. This high conductivity makes CNT coaxial cables an attractive alternative to commercial cables with a metal (tin-coated copper) OC, providing comparable cable attenuation and mechanical durability with a 97% lower component mass.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Carbon Nanotubes in Composites · Smart Materials for Construction · Electromagnetic Compatibility and Noise Suppression

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States

Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States

Communications Technology Laboratory, National Institute of Standard and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80305, United States

Material Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standard and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States

Materials and Structural System Division, National Institute of Standard and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States

NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standard and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States

Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States

Biology and Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States

Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States

Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, National Institute of Standard and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States

Maryland Nanocenter, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States

Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States

Funding

Welch Foundation · Air Force Research Laboratory · National Institute of Standards and Technology · Air Force Office of Scientific Research · University of Maryland · National Aeronautics and Space Administration · Rice University

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