Carbon nanotube enhanced conductors for communications cables and related communications cables and methods
AssigneeCommScope, Inc. of North Carolina
InventorLuc Walter Adriaenssens
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Abstract
A conductor for a communications cable includes an elongated metal wire and a metal sheet that includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes that at least partially surrounds the elongated metal wire. The metal wire may include copper, and the metal sheet may likewise include copper and may be welded to an outside surface of the metal wire to surround the metal wire. This conductor may be used in a variety of communications cables that carry high frequency signals.
Claims13
A conductor for a communications cable, comprising:
- an elongated metal wire;
- a metal sheet that includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes that is directly on an exposed surface of the elongated metal wire,
- wherein the elongated metal wire has a hollow center, and
- wherein the metal sheet is bonded to an interior surface of the elongated metal wire that is exposed by the hollow center.
A coaxial cable comprising:
- a center conductor;
- an outer conductor that surrounds the center conductor;
- a dielectric layer that is disposed between the center conductor and the outer conductor, and
- an outer jacket,
- wherein the center conductor comprises an elongated metal wire and a metal sheet that includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes on the elongated metal wire, and
- wherein the outer conductor comprises an elongated hollow metal wire;
- and an elongated metal tape that includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes which is welded to an exposed surface of the elongated hollow metal wire.
A method of forming a conductor of a communications cable, the method comprising:
- plating a plurality of carbon nanotubes onto an exposed surface of a first elongated metal sheet and onto an exposed surface of a second elongated metal sheet;
- providing an elongated metal wire that has a generally circular cross-section;
- heating at least one of the elongated metal wires or the first and second elongated metal sheets;
- welding the first elongated metal sheet onto a top half of an outer circumference of the elongated metal wire and welding the second elongated metal sheet onto a bottom half of the outer circumference of the elongated metal wire,
- wherein the elongated metal wire comprises an elongated copper wire and the first and second elongated metal sheets comprise first and second elongated copper sheets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.