Newswise — Northeastern University Assistant Professor Yung Joon Jung is the lead author of a research paper on the development of flexible hybrid composite structures using aligned multiwall carbon nanotube arrays in a poly (dimethylsiloxane) matrix " or "nano skins" for short - that appears in the March issue of The American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters. Jung is part of a team of researchers from Northeastern, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and New Mexico State University, who have developed a new process to make these flexible, conducting "nano skins" which can be used for a variety of applications, from electronic paper to sensors for detecting chemical and biological agents. The materials combine the excellent strength and conductivity of carbon nanotubes with the flexibility of traditional polymers.
Nanotube arrays are held together by weak forces that don't typically maintain their shape when transferred, but the team developed a new procedure that allows them to grow nanotubes on a separate platform and then press them into the soft polymer matrix. After the molecules at the interface react with each other, the platform is peeled back from the polymer, leaving a flexible skin with organized arrays of nanotubes embedded throughout.
The skins can be bent, flexed, and rolled up like a scroll, all while maintaining their ability to conduct electricity, which makes them ideal materials for electronic paper and other flexible electronics.
Jung anticipates that one day such skins might be used for a variety of applications, from "smart" clothing that could detect toxic gasses and other agents, to electronic newspapers.
The researchers also demonstrated that the skins can be utilized directly as flexible field emission devices, showing some of the best field-enhancement factors and turn-on electric fields reported thus far. This means that they could be used in devices such as field emission high resolution TV screens with significantly less power to turn on and long lifetime.
"The potential uses for these 'skins' in the future could really span the spectrum," said Jung. "We forsee a day when these ordered tiny nanotubes in a flexible medium could be used in flexible nano-electronics, high-resolution flexible displays and bio-catalytic/sensing systems in our daily life."
About Northeastern:Northeastern University, located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, is a world leader in practice-oriented education and recognized for its expert faculty and first-rate academic and research facilities. Northeastern integrates challenging liberal arts and professional studies with the nation's largest cooperative education program. Through co-op, Northeastern undergraduates alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, giving them nearly two years of professional experience upon graduation. The majority of Northeastern graduates receive a job offer from a co-op employer. Cited for excellence four years running by U.S. News & World Report, Northeastern has quickly moved up into the top tier rankings-an impressive 35 spots in four years. In addition, Northeastern was named a top college in the 2006 edition of the Princeton Review's annual "Best Colleges" issue. For more information, please visit http://www.northeastern.edu.
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