Evaluation of 1-dimensional nanomaterials release during electrospinning and thermogravimetric analysis.

The growing research interests with engineered nanomaterials in academic laboratories and manufacturing facilities pose potential safety risks to students and workers. New nanoparticle substances, compositions, and processing approaches are developed regularly, creating new health risks which may not have been addressed previously. Accordingly, the Institute of Occupational Medicine conducted field studies at Texas A&M University (TAMU) to characterize possible particle emissions during processing and fabrication of carbon nanotubes, copper nanowires, and polymeric fibers. The nature of the monitoring work carried out at TAMU was to investigate the potential release of 1D nanomaterials to air from activities associated with synthesis, handling, thermal gravimetric analysis, and electrospinning processes, and evaluate the effectiveness of the utilized control measures. The potential nanoparticle release to air from each activity was investigated using a combination of particle detection instrumentations, coupled with standard filter-based sampling techniques. The analyses indicated that a measurable quantity of free carbon nanosphere aggregates was detected during these activities; however, no free MWCNTs or nanowires were detected. Scanning electron microscopy identified the presence of carbon nanospheres aggregates on the filters. While the control measures used at TAMU are effective in containing the nanomaterial release during processing, poor handling and occupational hygiene practices can increase the risk of employee exposure to the nanomaterials.

Porous SnO2-Cu x O nanocomposite thin film on carbon nanotubes as electrodes for high performance supercapacitors.

Metal oxides are promising materials for supercapacitors due to their high theoretical capacitance. However, their poor electrical conductivity is a major challenge. Hybridization with conductive nanostructured carbon-based materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been proposed to improve the conductivity and increase the surface area. In this work, CNTs are used as a template for synthesizing porous thin films of SnO2-CuO-Cu2O (SnO2-Cu x O) via an electroless deposition technique. Tin, with its high wettability and electrical conductivity, acts as an intermediate layer between copper and the CNTs and provides a strong interaction between them. We also observed that by controlling the interfacial characteristics of CNTs and varying the composition of the electroless bath, the SnO2-Cu x O thin film morphology can be easily manipulated. Electrochemical characterizations show that CNT/SnO2-Cu x O nanocomposite possesses pseudocapacitive behavior that reaches a specific capacitance of 662 F g-1 and the retention is 94% after 5000 cycles, which outperforms any known copper and tin-based supercapacitors in the literature. This excellent performance is mainly attributed to high specific surface area, small particle size, the synergistic effect of Sn, and conductivity improvement by using CNTs. The combination of CNTs and metal oxides holds promise for supercapacitors with improved performance.

Ultrastrong Carbon Nanotubes-Copper Core-Shell Wires with Enhanced Electrical and Thermal Conductivities as High-Performance Power Transmission Cables.

Demands for high-performance electrical power transmission cables continue to rise, especially for offshore power transmission, electric vehicles, portable electronics, and deployable military applications. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-Copper (Cu) core-shell wire is regarded as one of the best candidate material systems for transmitting electricity and thermal energy. In this study, a facile and robust approach was developed to enhance the CNT-Cu interfacial interactions. This approach consists of a substrate-enhanced electroless deposition step for Cu pre-seeding and thiol functionalization. Benefiting from the thiol-activated CNT surface and Cu seed deposit, the CNTs-Cu core-shell wire forms a densely packed Cu shell with a void-free CNT-Cu interface. Consequently, the CNTs-Cu core-shell wire possesses (1) superior specific strength (eightfold stronger), (2) 30% higher specific conductivity, (3) 120% higher specific ampacity, and (4) an impressive 110% higher thermal conductivity compared with pure Cu wires. Moreover, this composite wire still maintains its structural integrity and electrical properties over 600 cycles of the fatigue bending test, rendering this system an excellent candidate for high-performance electrical cable and conductor applications.

Critical challenges and advances in the carbon nanotube-metal interface for next-generation electronics.

Next-generation electronics can no longer solely rely on conventional materials; miniaturization of portable electronics is pushing Si-based semiconductors and metallic conductors to their operational limits, flexible displays will make common conductive metal oxide materials obsolete, and weight reduction requirement in the aerospace industry demands scientists to seek reliable low-density conductors. Excellent electrical and mechanical properties, coupled with low density, make carbon nanotubes (CNTs) attractive candidates for future electronics. However, translating these remarkable properties into commercial macroscale applications has been disappointing. To fully realize their great potential, CNTs need to be seamlessly incorporated into metallic structures or have to synergistically work alongside them which is still challenging. Here, we review the major challenges in CNT-metal systems that impede their application in electronic devices and highlight significant breakthroughs. A few key applications that can capitalize on CNT-metal structures are also discussed. We specifically focus on the interfacial interaction and materials science aspects of CNT-metal structures.

Copper(I)-alkylamine mediated synthesis of copper nanowires.

Formation of a Cu(i)-alkylamine complex is found to be the key step for Cu(ii) ions to reduce to Cu(0) in the presence of glucose. Also, alkylamines in Cu nanowire synthesis serve triple roles as a reducing, complexation and capping agent. Alkylamines reduce Cu(ii) to Cu(i) at above 100 °C and protect the Cu(i) by forming a Cu ion-alkylamine coordination complex with a 1 : 2 ratio in an aqueous solution. With respect to the 1 : 2 complex ratio, the additional free alkylamines ensure a stable Cu(i)-alkylamine complex. After completion of Cu(i)-Cu(0) reduction by glucose, alkylamines remain on Cu(0) seeds to regulate the anisotropic growth of Cu nanocrystals. Long-chain (≥C16) alkylamines are found to help produce high-quality Cu nanowires, while short-chain (≤C12) alkylamines only produce CuO products. Furthermore, Cu nanowire synthesis is found to be sensitive to additional chemicals as they may destabilize Cu ion-alkylamine complexes. By comparing the Cu(i)-alkylamine and Maillard reaction mediated mechanism, the complete Cu nanowire synthesis process using glucose is revealed.

1D copper nanowires for flexible printable electronics and high ampacity wires.

This paper addresses the synthesis and a detailed electrical analysis of individual copper nanowires (CuNWs). One dimensional CuNWs are chemically grown using bromide ions (Br-) as a co-capping agent. By partially replacing alkyl amines with Br-, the isotropic growth on Cu seeds was suppressed during the synthesis. To study the electrical properties of individual CuNWs, a fabrication method is developed which does not require any e-beam lithography process. Chemically grown CuNWs have an ampacity of about 30 million amps per cm2, which is more than one order of magnitude larger than bulk Cu. These good quality, easy to synthesize CuNWs are excellent candidates for creating high ampacity wires and flexible printable electronics.