Simultaneous enhancement of mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube fiber by infiltration and subsequent carbonization of resorcinol-formaldehyde resin

Abstract An efficient strategy to enhance mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber is developed by using resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin as a functional infiltrating agent that can be carbonized under a mild condition. This strategy is a sequential process including infiltration of RF resin into CNT fiber, thermal stabilization and carbonization. The selection of resin and additive, and enhancement mechanism are elucidated by theoretical and experimental approaches. By using this strategy, the tensile strength, modulus, specific tensile strength and electrical conductivity of CNT fiber are enhanced by 8.2, 16.4, 2.1 and 3.6 fold, respectively.