Iodine doped carbon nanotube cables exceeding specific electrical conductivity of metals

Creating highly electrically conducting cables from macroscopic aggregates of carbon nanotubes, to replace metallic wires, is still a dream. Here we report the fabrication of iodine-doped, double-walled nanotube cables having electrical resistivity reaching ∼10−7 Ω.m. Due to the low density, their specific conductivity (conductivity/weight) is higher than copper and aluminum and is only just below that of the highest specific conductivity metal, sodium. The cables exhibit high current-carrying capacity of 104∼105 A/cm2 and can be joined together into arbitrary length and diameter, without degradation of their electrical properties. The application of such nanotube cables is demonstrated by partly replacing metal wires in a household light bulb circuit. The conductivity variation as a function of temperature for the cables is five times smaller than that for copper. The high conductivity nanotube cables could find a range of applications, from low dimensional interconnects to transmission lines

Characterization techniques for studying the properties of nanocarriers for systemic delivery

Nanocarriers have attracted a huge interest in the last decade as efficient drug delivery systems and diagnostic tools. They enable effective, targeted, controlled delivery of therapeutic molecules while lowering the side effects caused during the treatment. The physicochemical properties of nanoparticles determine their in vivo pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and tolerability. The most analyzed among these physicochemical properties are shape, size, surface charge and porosity and several techniques have been used to characterize these specific properties. These different techniques assess the particles under varying conditions, such as physical state, solvents etc. and as such probe, in addition to the particles themselves, artifacts due to sample preparation or environment during measurement. Here, we discuss the different methods to precisely evaluate these properties, including their advantages or disadvantages. In several cases, there are physical properties that can be evaluated by more than one technique. Different strengths and limitations of each technique complicate the choice of the most suitable method, while often a combinatorial characterization approach is needed

Étude de suspensions et de fibres de nanotubes de carbone

Ce travail de thèse concerne l'étude de dispersions et de fibres de nanotubes de carbone. Nous nous sommes intéressés à l'influence de la structure des nanotubes et de la nature des dispersants sur la topologie des diagrammes de phases des suspensions. Nous montrons par ailleurs que les dimensions des nanotubes peuvent être caractérisées en suspension par diffusion dynamique dépolarisée de la lumière. Le deuxième aspect de ce travail concerne l'étude et l'optimisation des propriétés mécaniques, électriques et électromécaniques de fibres de nanotubes de carbone formulées grâce aux acquis de la partie précédente. Nous montrons que les fibres de nanotubes sont des systèmes prometteurs pour la réalisation de matériaux haute ténacité, de capteurs ou encore d'actionneurs électromécaniques.This thesis deals with the study of carbon nanotube suspensions and fibers. We have studied the influence of the nanotube structure and dispersants on the topology of phase diagrams of suspensions. In addition, we show that carbon nanotube dimensions can be characterized in suspension by depolarized dynamic light scattering. The second part of this work deals with the study and the optimization of mechanical, electrical and electromechanical properties of carbon nanotube fibers. We show that carbon nanotube fibers are particularly promising systems for the realization of high toughness materials, sensors and electromechanical actuators

Étude de suspensions et de fibres de nanotubes de carbone

This thesis deals with the study of carbon nanotube suspensions and fibers. We have studied the influence of the nanotube structure and dispersants on the topology of phase diagrams of suspensions. In addition, we show that carbon nanotube dimensions can be characterized in suspension by depolarized dynamic light scattering. The second part of this work deals with the study and the optimization of mechanical, electrical and electromechanical properties of carbon nanotube fibers. We show that carbon nanotube fibers are particularly promising systems for the realization of high toughness materials, sensors and electromechanical actuators.Ce travail de thèse concerne l'étude de dispersions et de fibres de nanotubes de carbone. Nous nous sommes intéressés à l'influence de la structure des nanotubes et de la nature des dispersants sur la topologie des diagrammes de phases des suspensions. Nous montrons par ailleurs que les dimensions des nanotubes peuvent être caractérisées en suspension par diffusion dynamique dépolarisée de la lumière. Le deuxième aspect de ce travail concerne l'étude et l'optimisation des propriétés mécaniques, électriques et électromécaniques de fibres de nanotubes de carbone formulées grâce aux acquis de la partie précédente. Nous montrons que les fibres de nanotubes sont des systèmes prometteurs pour la réalisation de matériaux haute ténacité, de capteurs ou encore d'actionneurs électromécaniques

Directed Self-Assembly of Micron-Sized Gold Nanoplatelets into Oriented Flexible Stacks with Tunable Interplate Distance

A growing demand for control over the interparticle spacing and the orientation of anisotropic metallic particles into self-assembled structures is fuelled by their use in potential applications such as in plasmonics, catalysis, sensing, and optoelectronics. Here, we present an improved high yield synthesis method to fabricate micron- and submicron-sized gold nanoplatelets with a thickness less than 20 nm using silver nanoplatelets as seeds. By tuning the depth of the secondary minimum in the DLVO interaction potential between these particles, we are able to assemble the platelets into dynamic and flexible stacks containing thousands of platelets arranged face-to-face with well-defined spacing. Moreover, we demonstrate that the length of the stacks, and the interplate distance can be controlled between tens and hundreds of nm with the ionic strength. We use a high frequency external electric field to control the orientation of the stacks and direct the stacks into highly organized 2D and 3D assemblies that strongly polarize light

Structural and mechanical properties of single-wall carbon nanotube fibers

We report quantitative experimental study correlating the structure and mechanical properties of fibers made from single-walled carbon nanotubes SWNTs and polyvinyl alcohol PVA. A post-synthesis solvent drawing treatment is used to vary nanotube alignment, whose detailed understanding is a prerequisite for fiber development. Quantitative analysis of nanotube alignment within the fibers with different draw ratios is performed using x-ray scattering. The method is described in detail, and we also show that the improvement of nanotube alignment with draw ratio can be understood within a model of induced orientation at constant volume. Young's modulus and tensile strength increase with nanotube alignment. This is modeled using continuum mechanics in qualitative agreement with experiment, however quantitative differences show that nanotube alignment is not the only parameter controlling the fiber mechanical properties. We suggest that interaction between the SWNTs and PVA chains should also play a significant role

X-ray microdiffraction study of single-walled carbon nanotube alignment across a fibre

Nanotube alignment has been found to be one of the key parameters to explain the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube fibres. However, the question of the homogeneity of the alignment across the fibre diameter is still open. This letter reports on the first microdiffraction study of the alignment of nanotubes across a fibre, the diameter of which is about 20 μm. We show that the high flux of synchrotron radiation makes the analysis of nanotube alignment from the skin to the core of the fibre possible. The present result opens the way for further micrometer scale analyses of nanotube-based materials by X-ray scattering