Carbon nanotube shielding for transmission cables

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10373739-B2
Application number	US-201815950485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2018
Priority date	Dec 8, 2015
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

A transmission cable may include a conductor core, an insulator layer surrounding the conductor core, and a shielding layer surrounding the insulator layer, wherein the shielding layer includes a carbon nanotube sheet material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cable comprising:
a conductor core;
an insulator layer surrounding said conductor core; and
a shielding layer surrounding said insulator layer, wherein said shielding layer comprises a carbon nanotube sheet material comprising:
a permeable carrier material formed from one of a woven fabric and a nonwoven fabric, said carrier material comprising a first surface and a second surface; and
discontinuous carbon nanotubes that are entangled together to form a nonwoven network, wherein said nonwoven network of said discontinuous carbon nanotubes is compressably coupled to said first surface of said carrier material; and
a metallic coating that is applied to said second surface of said carrier material.

2. The cable of claim 1 wherein said carbon nanotubes comprise a diameter ranging from approximately 1 nanometer to approximately 50 nanometers and a length ranging from approximately 0.5 millimeters to approximately 4 millimeters.

3. The cable of claim 1 wherein said carbon nanotube sheet material comprises first ones of said carbon nanotubes comprising a first length ranging from approximately 0.5 millimeters to approximately 1 millimeter and second ones of said carbon nanotubes comprising a second length ranging from approximately 1 millimeter to approximately 4 millimeters.

4. The cable of claim 1 wherein said carbon nanotube sheet material further comprises discontinuous thermoplastic filaments entangled together and entangled with said carbon nanotubes to form said nonwoven network coupled to said carrier material.

5. The cable of claim 4 wherein said thermoplastic filaments comprise a diameter of approximately 18,000 nanometers and a length of approximately 6 millimeters.

6. The cable of claim 1 wherein said carbon nanotube sheet material is wrapped around said insulator layer.

7. The cable of claim 1 wherein said shielding layer further comprises a plurality of strips of said carbon nanotube sheet material spiral wound around said insulator layer.

8. The cable of claim 1 wherein said conductor core comprises a roll of said carbon nanotube sheet material.

9. The cable of claim 8 wherein said carbon nanotube sheet material further comprises discontinuous thermoplastic filaments entangled together and entangled with said carbon nanotubes to form said nonwoven network coupled to said carrier material.

10. The cable of claim 1 wherein said conductor core comprises a bundle of rolls of said carbon nanotube sheet material.

11. The cable of claim 1 wherein said carrier material comprises a nonwoven carbon fiber veil.

12. The cable of claim 1 wherein said carrier material comprises a woven polyethylene terephthalate mat.

13. The cable of claim 1 wherein said metallic coating applied to said second surface of said carrier material is in contact with said insulator layer.

14. The cable of claim 1 wherein:
said nonwoven network of said discontinuous carbon nanotubes is compressably coupled to said first surface of said carrier material using heated rollers; and
said metallic coating is applied to said second surface of said carrier material using at least one of electroless plating, electroplating, and chemical vapor deposition.

15. A cable comprising:
a conductor core, wherein said conductor core comprises a carbon nanotube sheet material;
an insulator layer surrounding said conductor core; and
a shielding layer surrounding said insulator layer, wherein said shielding layer comprises said carbon nanotube sheet material; and
wherein said carbon nanotube sheet material comprises:
a permeable carrier material formed from one of a woven fabric and a nonwoven fabric, said carrier material comprising a first surface and a second surface, opposite said first surface;
discontinuous carbon nanotubes that are entangled together to form a nonwoven network, wherein said nonwoven network of said discontinuous carbon nanotubes is compressably coupled to said first surface of said carrier material and shields against electromagnetic interference at frequencies greater than approximately one hundred megahertz; and
a metallic coating that is applied to said second surface of said carrier material, wherein said metallic coating shields against said electromagnetic interference at frequencies between approximately zero hertz and one hundred megahertz.

16. The cable of claim 15 wherein said conductor core further comprises at least one roll of said carbon nanotube sheet material.

17. The cable of claim 15 wherein said carrier material comprises one of a nonwoven carbon fiber veil or a woven polyethylene terephthalate mat.

18. A method for making a cable comprising:
placing an insulator layer to surround a conductor core; and
wrapping a carbon nanotube sheet material around said insulator layer to form a shielding layer surrounding said insulator layer and said conductor core, said carbon nanotube sheet material comprising:
a permeable carrier material formed from one of a woven fabric and a nonwoven fabric, said carrier material comprising a first surface and a second surface, opposite said first surface; and
discontinuous carbon nanotubes that are entangled together to form a nonwoven network, wherein said nonwoven network of said discontinuous carbon nanotubes is compressably coupled to first surface of said carrier material; and
a metallic coating that is applied to said second surface of said carrier material.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said carbon nanotube sheet material further comprises discontinuous thermoplastic filaments entangled together and entangled with said carbon nanotubes to form said nonwoven network coupled to said carrier material.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:
forming another carbon nanotube sheet material; and
rolling said another carbon nanotube sheet material into at least one roll to form said conductor core.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Hasan Zeaid F
• Brown Jade M
• Braley Daniel J
• Battat Jacob
• Belk John H
• Harriman Joseph B

Classifications

• H01B9/023 Primary

  composed of helicoidally wound tape-conductors · CPC title

• H01B13/26

  by winding, braiding or longitudinal lapping · CPC title

• B82Y30/00

  Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites · CPC title

• C01B32/158

  Carbon nanotubes · CPC title

• H01B1/24 Primary

  the conductive material comprising carbon-silicon compounds, carbon or silicon · CPC title