Printable Aligned Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Film with Outstanding Thermal Conductivity and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance

Ultrathin,lightweight,and flexible aligned single-walled carbon nanotube(SWCNT)films are fabricated by a facile,environmentally friendly,and scalable printing methodology.The aligned pattern and outstanding intrinsic properties render“metal-like”thermal conductivity of the SWCNT films,as well as excellent mechanical strength,flexibility,and hydrophobicity.Further,the aligned cellular microstructure promotes the electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding ability of the SWCNTs,leading to excellent shielding effectiveness(SE)of~39 to 90 dB despite a density of only~0.6 g cm^(−3) at thicknesses of merely 1.5-24μm,respectively.An ultrahigh thickness-specific SE of 25693 dB mm^(−1) and an unprecedented normalized specific SE of 428222 dB cm^(2)g^(−1) are accomplished by the freestanding SWCNT films,significantly surpassing previously reported shielding materials.In addition to an EMI SE greater than 54 dB in an ultra-broadband frequency range of around 400 GHz,the films demonstrate excellent EMI shielding stability and reliability when subjected to mechanical deformation,chemical(acid/alkali/organic solvent)corrosion,and high-/low-temperature environments.The novel printed SWCNT films offer significant potential for practical applications in the aerospace,defense,precision components,and smart wearable electronics industries.

STUDY ON PHOTO-INDUCED ORIENTATION OF A NOVEL PHOTO-ALIGNMENT FILM WITH SURFACE ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING (SERS) SPECTROSCOPY

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy was first utilized to study the photo-orientation behaviour of the photoreactive groups on a novel photo-alignment film surface and elucidate the generation mechanism of pretilt angle. The novel photo-alignment film was prepared by spin-coating a solution of ladderlike polysiloxane (LPS) bearing dual photoreactive group on an ITO surface and by irradiation with linear-polarized ultraviolet (LPUV) light A Si—H terminal compound (M) containing an identical photosensitive part has been used to fabricate a model film for SERS investigation.

Aligned carbon nanostructures based 3D electrodes for energy storage

Electrochemical energy storage systems with high specific energy and power as well as long cyclic stability attract increasing attention in new energy technologies. The principles for rational design of electrodes are discussed to reduce the activation, concentration, and resistance overpotentials and improve the active ma- terial efficiency in order to simultaneously achieve high specific energy and power. Three dimensional （3D） nanocomposites are currently considered as promising electrode materials due to their large surface area, reduced electronic and ionic diffusion distances, and synergistic effects. This paper reviews the most recent progress on the synthesis and application of 3D thin film nanoelectrode arrays based on aligned carbon nan- otubes （ACNTs） directly grown on metal foils for energy storages and special attentions are paid on our own representative works. These novel 3D nanoelectrode arrays on metal foil exhibit improved electrochemical performances in terms of specific energy, specific power and cyclic stability due to their unique structures. In this active materials coated ACNTs over conductive substrate structures, each component is tailored to address a different demand. The electrochemical active material is used to store energy, while the ACNTs are employed to provide a large surface area to support the active material and nanocable arrays to facilitate the electron transport. The thin film of active materials can not only reduce ion transport resistance by shorten- ing the diffusion length but also make the film elastic enough to tolerate significant volume changes during charge and discharge cycles. The conductive substrate is used as the current collector and the direct contact of the ACNT arrays with the substrate reduces significantly the contact resistance. The principles obtained from ACNT based electrodes are extended to aligned graphene based electrodes. Similar improvements have been achieved which confirms the reliability of the principles obtained. In addition, we also discuss and view the ongoing trends in development of aligned carbon nanostructures based electrodes for energy storage.

Vertically aligned nanocomposite films by self-assembled epitaxial nucleation for super-broadband transparent conductors

Designing super-broadband transparent conductors is challenging because of the exclusive nature of conductivity and infrared transmittance.Here,using a one-step process,we created vertically aligned nanocomposite conducting films with high transparency across a super-broad wavelength range.Vertically aligned transparent Ba_(3)V_(2)O_(8)nanocolumns with lateral-100-nm widths enable high transmittance(>50%,even at a 4-μm wavelength)for all incident light and outperform that of Sn-doped In_(2)O_(3),while the conducting SrVO_(3)matrix retains low resistivity(<0.56 mΩcm at room temperature).A combined study of scanning transmission electron microscopy,scattering scanning nearfield infrared microscopy,and X-ray diffraction revealed that spontaneous phase separation of Ba_(3)V_(2)O_(8)nanocolumns in a SrVO_(3)matrix film occurs via self-assembled epitaxial nucleation.Our vertically aligned nanocomposite films provide a fertile platform for next-generation optoelectronics.

Synthesis of a Novel Diamine 4-[(4'-Butoxyphenoxy)carbonyl]phenyl-3",5"-diaminobenzoate and Corresponding Polyimides

A novel diamine 4-[（4＇-butoxyphenoxy）carbonyl]phenyl-3＂,5＂-diaminobenzoate （BCDA） was synthesized from 4-butoxyphenol, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid through four main intermediates, and a series of polyimides were also synthesized. All the intermediates and the final product were characterized by FTIR and 1H-NMR. The key step in synthesis route is selective hydrolyzation of two ester groups in 4-butoxyphenyl-4＇-acetoxybenzoate, by adjusting the reaction temperature and the concentration of ammonia, shorteding the reaction time. The properties of the novel polyimides, such as the aggregation structures, glass transition temperature, solubility and the pretilt angles, were carded out.

Synthesis and Properties of a Novel Polyimide with Side Chain Containing Biphenyl Unit

A novel biphenyl side-chained diamine with alkyloxy spacer and alkyloxy tail,4＇-butoxy-4-（3,5-diaminobenzoyloxy）hexyloxybiphenyl（C6BBC4）,was synthesized and characterized by FTIR and 1 H NMR.A series of polyimide（PI） films with different side chain contents was synthesized from biphenyltetracarboxylicdianhydride（BPDA）,4,4＇-oxydianiline（ODA） and C6BBC4,and their thermal properties,optical transparency and liquid crystal alignment property,and so on,were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis（TGA）,differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）,crystal rotation method,polarizing microscopy and UV-Vis spectra.With the content of side chained diamine increasing from 0 to 100%,the η inh of poly（amide acid）（PAA） decreased rapidly from 3.0 to 0.51,the glass transition temperature（T g） of polyimides（PIs） decreased from 274 ℃ to 203 ℃ and the Vis-light transmittance of alignment films substantially increased.As for the alignment properties,the pretilt angle of PI alignment films without rubbing could reach 90° when the content of C6BBC4 was 60% or more.At the same time,the alignment stability could meet the industrial requirements.It was considered that the alkoxy spacer,the biphenyl unit and the alkoxy tail may all play important roles in achieving a large pretilt angle even up to 90°,and the introduction of only the alkoxy spacer or alkoxy tail can also improve the pretilt angle,but not by much.