title: Enhanced mechanical strength and electrical conductivity of carbon-nanotube/TiC hybrid fibers.
abstract: We report the synthesis of carbon nanotube/TiC hybrid fibers using a polymer-assisted chemical solution approach. Ti metal ions are bound to aqueous polyethyleneimine (PEI) to form precursor solution. Amphiphilic PEI with Ti easily permeates the CNT fibers. Upon annealing in a controlled atmosphere, a homogeneous TiC network is formed in the CNT fibers. The obtained CNT/TiC hybrid fibers show prominent enhancement in mechanical strength and electrical conductivity. The tensile strength and conductivity of CNT/TiC fibers can be improved to 0.67 GPa and 1650 S cm(-1) at room temperature, respectively. More importantly, a tensile modulus as high as 420 GPa has been achieved for the CNT/TiC fibers. Analysis shows that the cross-linking matrix of hard TiC plays a significant role in the improvement of mechanical strength. Furthermore, the electrons are transported in the CNT/TiC fiber by a three dimensional hopping mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, PR China.
authors.forename: Qinghua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yinghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yanhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Qingwen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Baoquan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Honghe
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Mingrong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Qinghua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guifu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zou