In-situ study of the carbon nanotube yarn drawing process

Recognizing the main factors affecting the spinning of carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns from vertically aligned brush-like CNTs (BCNTs) persists as a difficult challenge. Here, using in-situ drawing of as few as 20 CNTs from as-grown BCNT and measuring the force required for their separation from BCNT, we demonstrate that samples with different spinnability levels exhibit different separation force behaviors. Moreover, the average separation force per CNT differs among samples. Results show that the separation force in spinnable samples depends on the drawing location: it can be as high as 15 nN/CNT at the top of a sample and as low as 3 nN/CNT in the middle of a sample. In contrast, this force is around 10 nN/CNT for un-spinnable samples and is nearly constant throughout such samples. Detailed drawing site observations can pave the way to elucidation of the mechanisms of dry drawing processes of BCNT, which are vital for enhancing the strength of carbon nanotube yarns.