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US 10,553,326 B2Granted
Carbon nanotube compositions
AssigneeGeorgia Tech Research Corporation
InventorsBaratunde Cola, Daron Spence
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Abstract
Metal-carbon nanotube composites having nanotubes which are uniformly dispersed within the metal matrix of the composite, and which are unbundled or substantially unbundled, have high lengths, and which can be controllably aligned are disclosed herein. Such metal-carbon nanotube composites can show improved electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties, as compared to a pristine metal or metal alloy which does not contain nanotubes dispersed therein. Facile and scalable methods of fabricating such metal-nanocarbon composites are also disclosed.
Claims31
A metal-carbon composite comprising:
- a plurality of conformally coated carbon nanotubes having lengths in the range of 1-1000 microns which are uniformly dispersed within a metal or metal alloy matrix;
- wherein the plurality of carbon nanotubes dispersed within the metal or metal alloy matrix have a controlled alignment along the in-plane direction, cross-plane direction, or along an intermediate-plane direction;
- wherein the conformal coating on the plurality of coated carbon nanotubes has a thickness between 1 and 250 nm;
- wherein the conformal coating comprises a metal, carbonaceous material, or polymeric material, which increases the wettability and dispersibility of the carbon nanotubes in the metal or metal alloy forming the metal or metal alloy matrix;
- and
- wherein the metal is selected from aluminum, chromium, zinc, tantalum, platinum, gold, tin, lead, silver, titanium, indium, copper, metal oxides thereof, and combinations thereof;
- and
- wherein the metal-carbon composite is in an interface between a heat sink or heat spreader and a heat source and the metal-carbon composite has a thermal resistance of less than 5 mm2K/W.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.