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Journal of Composite Materials, Vol. 42, No. 15, 1533-1545 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0021998308092206

Electrical Conductivity Study of Carbon Nanotube Yarns, 3-D Hybrid Braids and their Composites

Philip D. Bradford

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27659, USA, pdbradfo{at}ncsu.edu

Alexander E. Bogdanovich

3TEX, Inc., Cary, NC 27511, USA

Long continuous yarns consisting solely of carbon nanotubes may be the future of specialty composites requiring unique multi-functional properties. Many of such yarns were incorporated in a hybrid composite here, to demonstrate for the first time, their effect on increasing the electrical conductivity of an otherwise insulating composite. Six-ply nanotube yarns produced by University of Texas at Dallas were used as a raw material in this study. Thirty-six ends of such yarn were utilized in a 3-D braiding process along with nine axial bundles of glass fibers. The experimental study of the electrical conductivity of the produced nanotube yarns, 3-D braids and composites made thereof is described; the results for different tested materials are mutually compared and discussed. Some non-trivial effects attributed to the complex multi-level hierarchy and nano-scale building blocks of the studied materials are revealed. Special attention is paid to a proper interpretation of the obtained experimental results, because the tested materials represent complex discrete networks of numerous electrically conductive elements.

Key Words: carbon nanotube yarns • multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) • 3-D braid • hybrid composite • electrical conductivity.


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