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Highly Conductive Wire: Cu Carbon Nanotube Composite Ampacity and Metallic CNT Buckypaper ConductivityNASA is currently working on developing motors for hybrid electric propulsion applications in aviation. To make electric power more feasible in airplanes higher power to weight ratios are sought for electric motors. One facet to these efforts is to improve (increase) the conductivity and (lower) density of the magnet wire used in motors. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) and composites containing CNT are being explored as a possible way to increase wire conductivity and lower density. Presented here are measurements of the current carrying capacity (ampacity) of a composite made from CNT and copper. The ability of CNT to improve the conductivity of such composites is hindered by the presence of semiconductive CNT (s-CNT) that exist in CNT supplies naturally, and currently, unavoidably. To solve this problem, and avoid s-CNT, various preferential growth and sorting methods are being explored. A supply of sorted 95 metallic CNT (m-CNT) was acquired in the form of thick film Buckypaper (BP) as part of this work and characterized using Raman spectroscopy, resistivity, and density measurements. The ampacity (Acm2) of the Cu-5volCNT composite was 3.8 lower than the same gauge pure Cu wire similarly tested. The lower ampacity in the composite wire is believed to be due to the presence of s-CNT in the composite and the relatively low (proper) level of longitudinal cooling employed in the test method. Although Raman spectroscopy can be used to characterize CNT, a strong relation between the ratios of the primary peaks GGand the relative amounts of m-CNT and s-CNT was not observed. The average effective conductivity of the CNT in the sorted, 95 m-CNT BP was 2.5 times higher than the CNT in the similar but un-sorted BP. This is an indication that improvements in the conductivity of CNT composites can be made by the use of sorted, highly conductive m-CNT.
Document ID
20170003881
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Technical Memorandum (TM)
Authors
de Groh, Henry C. (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Date Acquired
April 25, 2017
Publication Date
April 17, 2017
Subject Category
Aircraft Propulsion And Power
Metals And Metallic Materials
Engineering (General)
Report/Patent Number
GRC-E-DAA-TN39659
NASA/TM-2017-219480
E-19350
Report Number: GRC-E-DAA-TN39659
Report Number: NASA/TM-2017-219480
Report Number: E-19350
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 081876.02.03.05.02.04
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
Keywords
wire
electrical resistivity
yarns
electrical resistivity

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