Highly Conductive and Ultra-Strong Carbon Nanotube-Copper Core-Shell Wires as High-Performance Power Transmission Cables

Demands for high performance electrical power transmission cables continues to rise, especially for offshore power transmission, electric vehicles, portable electronics, and deployable military applications. Carbon nanotube (CNT)-Copper (Cu) core-shell wire is regarded as one of the best candidate material systems for transmitting electricity and thermal energy. In this study, a robust and facile approach was developed to enhance the CNT-Cu interfacial interactions using a substrate-enhanced electroless deposition step for Cu pre-seeding and thiol functionalization. Consequently, the CNT-Cu core-shell wire possesses: (1) superior specific strength (8-fold stronger), (2) 30% higher specific conductivity, (3) 120% higher specific ampacity, and (4) 110% higher thermal heat dissipation compared with pure Cu wire. Moreover, this composite wire maintains its structural integrity and electrical properties over 600 cycles of fatigue bending test, rendering this system an excellent candidate for high-performance electrical cable and conductor applications