Description

The discovery of carbon nanotubes has promoted the further development of high-performance carbon-based fibers. Studies have shown that the mechanical properties of carbon materials are closely related to their structure. According to theoretical predictions, if the formed carbon material has a perfect graphite layer structure and is highly oriented, the elastic modulus of the fiber can reach 1060 GPa and the tensile strength will reach 200 GPa. Although the processing technology of carbon fiber has been improved for more than 50 years, the highest elastic modulus of carbon fiber currently reported is only about 700 GPa, and the highest tensile strength is only 9 GPa. The structural defects caused by the processing technology and the low degree of orientation between the graphite layers are the main reasons for the carbon fiber strength to be much lower than the theoretical prediction. The emergence of carbon nanotubes, a one-dimensional nano-carbon material with a perfect graphite layer structure, has provided new ideas and opportunities for the development of a new generation of ultra-high-strength fiber materials.
Compared with carbon fiber, carbon nanotube fiber will show better performance. Studies have shown that in addition to the basic properties of carbon fibers, the density of carbon nanotubes is lighter, only 1/6 of that of steel; the mechanical properties are stronger, because of the more perfect graphite layer structure and one-dimensional nanostructure, the mechanical strength Carbon fiber is at least an order of magnitude higher, up to 150 GPa, and with an elastic modulus of up to 1 TPa. Therefore, the preparation of carbon nanotube fibers based on carbon nanotubes has been regarded as an important direction for the development of high-performance fibers in the future. Recent research results have also proved that the macro-scale carbon nanotube fiber material assembled with carbon nanotubes in high orientation can have a tensile strength of 10 GPa, which has become the lightest, strongest, and most plastic fiber material. The development of this material will greatly promote the development of the field of ultrafine fibers and next-generation structural and functional composite materials.
Carbon nanotube fiber data: