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Development of a TPU/CNT/Cu Composite Conductive Filament with a High CNT Concentration

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Abstract

In this study, a flexible conductive filament was fabricated by mixing thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and Cu powder. A polymer extruder was used to disperse conductive materials in the TPU matrix. Because the dispersion of CNTs in polymers is difficult, the dispersion process was repeated several times for the homogeneity of the fabricated conductive filament. Cu powder with high electrical conductivity was additionally added to improve the electrical characteristics of the conductive polymer. As TPU generally has excellent ductility and durability, the fabricated filament can secure flexibility. The resistance was measured and compared according to the mixing ratio of CNT/Cu powder. Based on the obtained results, the resistance of the conductive filament decreased as the CNT and Cu powder contents were increased. The addition of metal powders, such as CNTs and Cu powder, however, reduced the ductility of TPU. Finally, the developed conductive filament was used to fabricate a simple closed photodiode circuit.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grants funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2021R1A4A1033141 and No. 2021R1F1A106-4238).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 28644, Korea

    Hansol Kim, Seungcheol Shin, Jungho Cho, Sang-Woo Han & Inhwan Lee

  2. Smart Manufacturing Engineering Group, Institute for Advanced Engineering, Youngin-Si, 17180, Korea

    Hojin Yoo

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  1. Hansol Kim
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  2. Hojin Yoo
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  3. Seungcheol Shin
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  4. Jungho Cho
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  5. Sang-Woo Han
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  6. Inhwan Lee
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Contributions

All authors contributed to this paper. Experiments were performed by Hansol Kim, Seungcheol Shin, Hojin You. Data analysis and result considerations were performed by Hansol Kim, Sang-Woo Han, Inhwan Lee and Jungho Cho. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Hansol Kim and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jungho Cho.

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Kim, H., Yoo, H., Shin, S. et al. Development of a TPU/CNT/Cu Composite Conductive Filament with a High CNT Concentration. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf. 24, 265–271 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-022-00712-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-022-00712-4

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