Connection of macro-sized double-walled carbon nanotube strands by bandaging with double-walled carbon nanotube films Original Research Article

Based on their special shrinkage characteristics, double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT) films were used as bandages to bind the overlapped ends of macro-sized (centimeters long) DWCNT strands for connection to get structures of random length. Tensile tests indicated that the joints made in this way had relatively high tensile strength with a maximum value of 311 MPa corresponding to that of the original strands. The equivalent contact resistance of the joints was very small. And the connected strands showed better electronic properties in our investigation on the temperature dependence of resistivity and the same remarkable current capacity, in contrast to the original ones. This technique may offer a promising potential for the future extensive use of macro-sized CNTs in many fields, such as electrical cables and wires.