Inexpensive plastic now used to manufacture CDs and DVDs could soon find its way inside aircraft, computer and iPhone electronics.
With a pair of grants from the US Air Force, Shay Curran, associate professor of physics at University of Houston, and his research team have demonstrated ultra-high electrical conductive properties in plastics, called polycarbonates, by mixing them with just the right amount and type of carbon nanotubes, researchers said in a release.
Making this cheap plastic highly conductive could benefit all manner of electronics from military aircraft to personal computers, the researchers said. Computer failure, for instance, results from the build up of thermal and electrical charges, so developing these polymer nanotube composites into an antistatic coating or to provide a shield against electromagnetic interference would increase the lifespan of computing devices, ranging from PCs to PDAs, the researchers said.
Researchers next expect to develop ink formulations to paint these plastic nanocomposites onto various electrical components, researchers said. Normally, metal plates are used to dissipate electrical charge, so it's not surprising that the availability of a paintable ink would be particularly appealing to the Air Force for its lightweight properties, resulting in lighter aircraft that guzzle less gas, researchers said.
Another key finding of this research was that pristine nanotubes disbursed in this plastic were found to possess an even higher conductivity than acid-treated carbon nanotubes. Traditionally, the tubes are or treated with acid or sonicated, to clean them to achieve higher conductivity. This, however, damages the tubes and exposes them to defects. Instead, researchers were able to swirl them to give them incredibly clean samples of carbon nanotubes, researchers said.
"While its mechanical and optical properties are very good, polycarbonate is a non-conductive plastic. That means its ability to carry an electrical charge is as good as a tree, which is pretty awful," said Shay Curran, associate professor of physics at UH in a statement. "Imagine that this remarkable plastic can now not only have good optical and mechanical properties, but also good electrical characteristics. By being able to tailor the amount of nanotubes we can add to the composite, we also can change it from the conductivity of silicon to a few orders below that achieved by metals."
The research is featured in a paper titled "Electrical Transport Measurements of Highly Conductive Carbon Nanotube/Poly(bisphenol A carbonate) Composite," appearing in a recent issue of the Journal of Applied Physics.
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