The Joule Heating Effect of a Foldable and Cuttable Sheet Made of SWCNT/ANF Composite

Abstract

A foldable and cuttable sheet heater was fabricated using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and aramid nanofibers (ANFs). SWCNTs are particularly well suited for Joule heating based on their high thermal stability, electrical properties, high current density, and aspect ratio. When the SWCNT/ANF composite reaches a high temperature during Joule heating, ANFs will endure this temperature due to their impressive thermal stability, derived from aramid fibers. With the aim of achieving a synergistic effect between the SWCNTs and ANFs, 0–100 wt% SWCNT/ANF composite sheets were fabricated by tip-type sonication and vacuum filtration. After assessing the thermal stability and electrical properties of the composite sheets, the Joule heating effect was analyzed. TGA showed that our sheet had high thermal stability in an air condition up to around 500 °C. The electrical conductivity of the composite sheet was improved as the amount of SWCNT added rose to 790.0 and 747.5 S/cm in the 75 and 100_SWCNTs/ANF, respectively. The maximum heating temperature, up to 280 °C, reached by Joule heating was measured as a function of SWCNT content and input voltage, and the relationship among SWCNT content, input voltage, heating temperature, and electric power was described. Mechanical properties were also measured in a temperature range similar to the heating temperature of 300 °C reached by Joule heating. Ultimately, we obtained a foldable and cuttable composite sheet with a stretchable structure, capable of being molded into a variety of shapes. This energy-efficient material can potentially be employed in any device in which a heater is required to deliver high temperatures.