Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) hold immense potential for advancing battery technology, offering opportunities to improve performance in applications like electric vehicles and portable electronics. However, challenges such as poor dispersibility have hindered their widespread use. Recent innovations promise to overcome these barriers, opening up new possibilities for CNTs in energy storage.

CNTs for Battery Technology: Opportunities and Challenges

CNTs have gained traction as an exceptional material for improving battery technology. This is due to several factors: 

- CNTs have high electrical conductivity with a large aspect ratio, enabling efficient electron transfer.

- CNTs are incredibly lightweight and flexible, enhancing their applicability and energy efficiency in applications like electric vehicles.

- CNTs are strong and durable, allowing them to withstand stressors and last far longer than traditional batteries. 

However, some challenges remain before CNTs become the outright dominant carbon material in battery technologies. 

The first significant challenge is enabling the economical production of high-quality CNTs at an industrial scale, which TrimTabs has begun to solve. The second biggest problem is dispersibility: CNTs are notorious for sticking to themselves, which hinders their overall usefulness in many applications, including batteries. 

Dispersible CNTs for Secondary Batteries

The dispersibility challenge might have just been overcome. A research group at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center has developed a technology that enables the production of a highly dispersible CNT powder. 

The technology minimises aggregation and facilitates dispersion in dry processes, enabling secondary battery technology production without the large amounts of carbon dioxide produced from the evaporation step in wet processes, making the process more environmentally friendly. 

Having high dispersibility in a dry format that does not hinder the conductivity of the CNTs is valuable for the application and manufacturing of electronic devices using CNTs, such as batteries, transistors, and conduction cables. The research group is validating the high-dispersibility CNT powder production technology for applications including high-capacity thick-film anodes and cathodes. 

At TrimTabs, we’re thrilled to see CNTs become adapted for easy application in materials, a development we believe will only fuel their growing demand. We can’t wait to see where this innovation leads! 

To read the full story, click on the link below. 

Full story

‍