Carbon nanotube fiber–silver hybrid electrical conductors

• Carbon nanotube fibres were composited with silver nanoparticles.
• Presence of silver improves current-carrying capacity of carbon nanotube fibres.
• Silver is stable in the fibre and does not evaporate due to high current heating.
• Silver nanoparticle clusters short electrical contacts in the nanotube network.

Carbon nanotubes are very promising materials for many electrical and electronic application. Particularly, it is expected that macroscopic assemblies made purely of carbon nanotubes may form highly efficient and reliable electrical conductors for the next generation of electrical wires. It has already been demonstrated that wire-like nanotube assemblies—carbon nanotube fibres can successfully work as electrical wires, however, their performance needs further research and development. This paper presents the possible method of enhancement of electrical conductivity and current-carrying capacity of the carbon nanotube fibres via incorporation of silver nanoparticles into the nanotube network and formation of a hybrid carbon nanotube fibre–silver conductor.

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