#electrical conductivity

Copper's biggest rival yet? New carbon nanotube fibers could reshape wiring for EVs, drones and aircraft

Spanish researchers have demonstrated a scalable manufacturing process for carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers with electrical conductivity comparable to that of copper and aluminum. The result, published in Science, is a breakthrough for the future of electrification in aerospace, electric vehicles (EVs), drones and related applications, which require lightweight and high-strength electrical wiring. CNTs have long been considered as ideal building blocks for electrical conductors, owing to their unique combination of low density and electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. Until now, however, they have not offered the electrical conductivity required to present a realistic alternative at an industrial scale to traditional materials, in particular copper.

New reversible conductive glue could reshape electronics repair, recycling, and material recovery

A collaboration between electrical and chemical engineers at Newcastle University is responsible for a reversible glue that can change how we recycle electronic waste. The team has already demonstrated reversible adhesive technology with wide applicability in general packaging applications, but this new glue is electrically conductive. This means that it can join electronic components, just like solder does. Unlike solder, however, a simple wash with a green solvent like acetone, or using an alkaline solution, will allow the components to be separated for reuse or recycling. This is a "one-pot" glue and is water-based, so it does not emit organic solvent vapors and does not require a hardener, unlike some glues. It is also as strong as other water-based glues. The glue is made in the same way as a paint, but silver particles are added rather than pigments, and this gives the formulation its electrical properties. Other conducting glues exist, and many of these also include silver for optimal conductivity, but none can easily be debonded.

Ultra-clean MXenes deliver 160-fold higher conductivity

An international team of researchers has developed a breakthrough method for producing MXenes—an important family of two-dimensional materials—with unprecedented purity and control. The new "gas–liquid–solid" process enables the synthesis of pure MXenes with uniformly distributed halogen atoms on the surface and a precisely tunable surface composition. The method dramatically boosts their electrical conductivity and opens the door to high-performance electronics, sensors, and energy technologies. The researchers are affiliated with TU Dresden, Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics Halle, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and partner institutions across Europe. The work is published in the journal Nature Synthesis.

3D material mimics graphene's electron flow for green computing

University of Liverpool researchers have discovered a way to host some of the most significant properties of graphene in a three-dimensional (3D) material, potentially removing the hurdles for these properties to be used at scale in green computing. The work is published in the journal Matter. Graphene is famous for being incredibly strong, lightweight, and an excellent conductor of electricity and its applications range from electronics to aerospace and medical technologies. However, its two-dimensional (2D) structure makes it mechanically fragile and limits its use in demanding environments and large-scale applications.

Record stretching of metallic bond reveals quantum conductance in gold atomic chains

Researchers from the Institute of Metal Research (IMR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have stretched a chain of gold atoms by a record-breaking 46%, providing direct evidence of how fundamental metal bonds behave under extreme deformation. This study also reveals how structural changes at the atomic scale influence electrical transport. The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, focuses on gold atomic chains—the ultimate one-dimensional structures in which atoms are linked in a single row. Using an aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscope, the researchers meticulously stretched these atomically thin wires while simultaneously observing their structural changes with atomic precision in a clean, contamination-free environment.

Pioneering recipe for conductive plastics paves way for human bodies to go online

It's moldable, biocompatible and glitters like gold. Plastic that can conduct an electric charge is a material that can be used for everything from sensors that can monitor our health to self-cooling clothing or electronic adhesive plasters that can be applied to the skin and send data directly to a mobile phone. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden recently presented a "recipe" that makes it easier to manufacture this kind of sought-after electrically conductive plastic in larger quantities—without the use of harmful chemicals, and in a much more cost-effective way. "Once higher production volumes are achieved, it is possible to work with the material in a completely different way. Larger quantities are needed to enable the development of a range of applications, for example in biotechnology, energy storage, and wearable electronics," says Christian Müller, Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers and co-author of a study published in Science Advances.