Instrumentation and Control of Carbon Nanotube Fibre Manufacture

Over the past 7 years at Cambridge, a team led by Prof Windle has developed a process capable of making continuous carbon fibres in a single operation that are composed of entangled multi and single wall carbon nanotunes. The potential of this ground-breaking process for making high performance fibres has led to the opportunity of it being applied in a broad range of industrial sectors. It offers a disruptive technology that, if successfully developed through greater manufacturing innovations, is poised to replace traditional materials in a host of mechanical and electrical applications. Moreover, the current research position established by the Cambridge team offers a significant opportunity for the UK to take the lead in the development of a new materials supply chain, new manufacturing process technologies, and product innovations that are a step change from their conventional counterparts. Prof Windle's work to date has established the basic manufacturing process through a series of many process innovations. Numerous advances in reactor design, catalyst materials, and operating conditions have been explored in order to establish the manufacturing foundations. Many kilometres of fibre can now be produced in a continuous operation. However, limitations of the current laboratory production system include: variation in material characteristics such as fibre width; CNT crystal structure; mechanical strength; thermal and electrical conductivity. These issues have become a significant barrier to the consistent high volumetric production of materials with known characteristics. This project will develop advanced on-line instrumentation and manufacturing technology solutions that will enable the tightly controlled production of CNT fibre with sufficient quality and and in sufficient quantity that will allow industrial users to begin testing the materials in their new products. The new CNT fibres could find widespread applications in all sectors including power generation, aerospace, automotive, defence and consumer goods.

The major research and development outputs from this programme could make significant impacts across all parts of the manufacturing value chain, society at large, and the wider economy. The proposal offers an opportunity to develop new manufacturing capabilities for the production of high volumes of low cost and high quality CNT fibre materials. The new and advanced instrumentation technology developed here will provide an important step forward in the reliable production of CNT fibres. CNT fibres will, for the first time, be produced under known and regulated conditions. Moreover, the provision of high quality CNT fibres will increase the take-up of these new materials downstream across a range of industrial sectors. The commercial private sector will benefit from the research through the availability of a new class of materials that will allow them to enhance their product offerings through more efficient designs, or lower costs. Policy makers could take advantage through the setting of standards that allow greater use of resources in materials consumption or improved health and safety measures in personal protection equipment in military or industrial applications. The wider public could see improved product performance through greater electrical and mechanical efficiencies in a wide range of products. The research could directly contribute to the nations wealth by placing the UK in the international lead in this area and establish the manufacturing value chain that delivers thousands of UK jobs in the production, supply and application of the new materials. These manufacturing breakthroughs coupled with new knowledge of the process, have the potential to allow industry to establish swathes of new products for the market, that have the potential for significant societal impacts in areas such as health-care, transport, energy generation, communications and defense. These benefits are significant and could all be realised in the next 10 years should this research be successful. The knowledge and experience gained in terms of new manufacturing technologies and production methods, and the output of leading experts in the field could be applied in the creation of new and potentially world leading companies.