A new manufacturing technique, Microcombing, can be utilized to produce stronger and more conductive carbon nanotube (CNT) films.

Scientists at the North Carolina State University have developed this inexpensive technique that can be used to align carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which could lead to the production of ultra-strong and pure CNT films. These nanotubes when casted into ultra-thin durable sheets, will find wide applications in the electrical and aerospace industry.

The CNT films developed after utilizing this microcombing method will have double the tensile strength and will also be 80% more conductive to electricity than nanofilms created using traditional manufacturing technology. This new technique will allow the researchers to control the thickness of the CNT film by regulating the number of layers.

Yuntian Zhu, Material Sciences Researcher at NC State, explained, "This is a significant advance, but we want to find ways to make CNT alignment even straighter. It's a simple process and can create a lightweight CNT film, or bucky paper, that is a meter wide and twice as strong as previous such films and it's even stronger than CNT fibers".

The researchers started by growing CNTs on a conventional substrate in closely packed array. Then, the CNTs were entangled and pulled from either end of the array, causing them to form a 'ribbon'. This ribbon was then neatly wound up, on a spool. When the spool was pulled, the ribbon dragged between a pair of fissured surgical blades that created a 'microcomb'. An alcohol solution was applied to pull these ribbons even closer together to form a super strong bond.

Carbon nanotubes thus produced will have manifold applications. The high strength can be utilized for the development of better bullet-proof vests, stronger artificial muscles and sturdy ship hulls. The electro conductive properties can be harnessed to create new generation transistors and more durable conductive layer in smart phones and tablets.