Multifunctional Properties of Carbon Nanotube Yarn/Aerogel Laminate Composites

This work explores the multifunctional performance of scalable carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn laminate composites. Tensile, thermal, electrical, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties are compared to state-of-the-art unidirectional IM7/5250-4 carbon fiber composite (CFRP). CNT laminates achieved a specific tensile modulus of 249.7 ± 22.3 GPa/(g/cm3), which is over double the specific modulus of the CFRP, while maintaining a specific tensile strength of 1.88 ± 0.17 GPa/(g/cm3) which is comparable to the CFRP. CNT yarn laminates demonstrated superior thermal transport properties, with in-plane thermal conductivity of 75.78 ± 14.3 W/mK, over 13 times higher than the CFRP. CNT yarn laminates were also superior in electrical conductivity, achieving a longitudinal conductivity of 5,359 ± 417 S/cm and transverse conductivity of 36.87 ± 2.55 S/cm. This translated to superior EMI shielding properties, achieving over 100 dB in the X-band, which is nearly double that of the CFRP. Incorporating CNT aerogel interwoven between CNT yarns reduced the large property variance observed in the measurements, demonstrating a multifunctional material with tensile, thermal, and electrical properties superior to the CFRP, while potentially mitigating the scalability challenges inherent to CNT nanomaterials.