Method of manufacturing electrodes using carbon nanotube sheets

摘要

Growing spin-capable multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) forests in a repeatable fashion will become possible through understanding the critical factors affecting the forest growth. Here we show that the spinning capability depends on the alignment of adjacent MWCNTs in the forest which in turn results from the synergistic combination of a high areal density of MWCNTs and short distance between the MWCNTs. This can be realized by starting with both the proper Fe nanoparticle size and density which strongly depend on the sheet resistance of the catalyst film. Simple measurement of the sheet resistance can allow one to reliably predict the growth of spin-capable forests. The properties of pulled MWCNTs sheets reflect that there is a relationship between their electrical resistance and optical transmittance. Overlaying either 3, 5, or 10 sheets pulled out from a single forest produces much more repeatable characteristics.

主权项

1. A method of manufacturing an electrode for fuel cells and lithium batteries comprising the step of:
(i) pulling out a bundle of CNTs from a CNT forest; (ii) forming CNT sheets from the pulled bundle of the CNTs; and (iii) forming metal oxide/CNT sheet composites comprising CNT sheets, wherein the CNTs are encapsulated by the metal oxide.