Kun (Kelvin) Fu, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Delaware, has used a 3D printer to make pure carbon nanotube (CNT) architectures.

Fu is believed to be the first person to make these lightweight, strong, highly porous CNT structures using a 3D printer. Fu’s creations could be useful in the manufacture of composites, which are made from two or more materials that have different properties when combined than they do as individual materials.

Carbon nanotubes can add strength to polymer composites. They are also electrically conductive and chemically stable, opening up a world of creative opportunity for use of this material in batteries and electronics, water purification and desalination technologies, tissue-engineered medical implants, and more. 3D carbon nanotube atop a dandelion. (Image: University of Delaware) “We can print a series of 3D complex structures using carbon nanotubes. This is a pure […]

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