Recently, China's largest carbon nanotube technology company: JSTN Graphene Technology Group announced that it is expected to achieve a net profit of 210 million to 250 million yuan in the first half of 2021, an increase of 235.41% to 357.37% year-on-year. The rapid growth in performance is attributed to the carbon nanotube conductive agent developed by the company, which has changed the situation that my country's lithium battery companies rely on imports for conductive agents.
"From the structural point of view, carbon nanotubes can be visually viewed as hollow tubular structures made of single or multilayer graphene seamlessly crimped." Dr. Li, a researcher at the SZNM Institute of Nanotechnology explained.
China's graphene research reaches the world's advanced level
It has been 30 years since the research of carbon nanotubes. Dr. Li believes that the research level of Chinese scientists in carbon nanotubes basically keeps pace with the world's advanced level, and is at the world's leading level in some fields.
In the basic research of carbon nanotubes, the team of Zhang Jin and Li Yan of Peking University have made important contributions to the synthesis of conductive controllable carbon nanotubes, and the synthesis and separation of one-handed carbon nanotubes. Peng Lianmao's team at Peking University has made significant progress in carbon nanotube electronic devices. In the application of carbon nanotubes, Wei Fei's team at Tsinghua University has made great achievements in the large-scale preparation of carbon nanotubes, high-strength carbon nanotube fibers, and carbon nanotube conductive additives.
As the national team of China`s nanomaterials research, SZ Nano Institute has been carrying out research work on the controllable preparation and cutting-edge applications of carbon nanotubes since 2007, and published more than 300 high-level papers. Many major achievements have been made in the large-scale production of carbon nanotube fibers and films, carbon nanotube composite materials and energy device applications.
How to obtain high-purity, high-quality semiconductor-type single-walled carbon nanotubes is a prerequisite for electronic-grade applications.
Dr. Li told us that the team she led achieved high concentration separation of semiconductor single-walled carbon nanotubes with a purity greater than 99.99%, as well as efficient screening of some uni-chiral carbon nanotubes in 2018. On this basis, they cooperated with other domestic colleges and universities to jointly realize the development of semiconductor-type carbon nanotube-based integrated circuits and display backplane driving devices.
Carbon nanotubes, called super fibers, are made into fibers and films. Compared with traditional high-performance fibers and film materials, carbon nanotubes have excellent flexibility, electrical and thermal conductivity.
After years of research, the Dr.Li team has achieved the continuous preparation of kilometer-scale continuous carbon nanotube fibers, breaking through the dry-scale preparation technology of 10,000-square-meter carbon nanotube films.
At the same time, SZ Nano Institute researchers developed a new type of carbon nanotube composite material with a carbon nanotube content of more than 60% using highly oriented carbon nanotube film, which is more than twice as strong as carbon fiber composite material; developed a carbon nanotube film The new process of electrothermal curing composite materials is expected to bring new design strategies for online composite repair and wing deicing.
Accelerated implementation of carbon nanotube research results
Carbon nanotubes, known as "black gold", were predicted by scientists to become one of the miraculous materials that "completely change the 21st century".
As the leading enterprise of carbon nanotubes in China, JSTN has successfully developed a unique catalytic reaction process to realize the continuous production of carbon nanotubes with a production capacity of up to 1,000 tons. In the past two years, JSTN's carbon nanotube conductive agent product shipments and sales have ranked first in the industry, which has changed the situation that my country's lithium battery companies rely on imports for conductive agents.
The use of conductive agents for lithium batteries is just the tip of the iceberg in the application of carbon nanotubes.
As a national strategic emerging material, carbon nanotube materials also have a wide range of applications in conductive plastics, lightweight high-strength composite materials, wide-band lightweight electromagnetic shielding, impact protection, smart materials, and electronic devices. Among them, the market prospects of materials such as carbon nanotube-based heating films, conductive plastics, and composite materials are getting better and better.
"While strengthening frontier exploration, we are actively carrying out research and development on the application of carbon nanotubes, and have developed lightweight carbon nanotube/metal composite wire technology, as well as lightweight cables for satellites. The carbon nanotube heating and thermal clothing developed has won many The use of international brands has become one of the Winter Olympics products." Dr.Li said. Based on the team's technology, SZJD Nano Technology Co., Ltd. has realized the industrialization of carbon nanotube film, with a production capacity of 100,000 square meters per year, and successfully developed the product's application in high-end outdoor thermal clothing and medical rehabilitation.
"As an emerging material, carbon nanotubes may also be used in conductive plastics, semiconductor devices, lightweight and high-strength composite materials, broadband light electromagnetic shielding, impact protection, smart devices and other fields in the future, and are expected to bring them to these fields. Transformative development." Dr.Li said.