Cable with nanoparticle paste

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11031704-B2
Application number	US-201715659296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2017
Priority date	Jul 25, 2017
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A cable can be used to facilitate electrical connections between electrical components. The cable can include a plurality of cable strands forming a void space. An adhesive paste can be applied within the void space. The adhesive paste can include a plurality of metallic nanoparticles. The metallic nanoparticles can fuse with each other and with the plurality of cable strands when energy is applied the connector and the cable. The metallic nanoparticles can include a surfactant, which can be displaced as pressure is applied. Heat can be applied to the adhesive paste to fuse the metallic nanoparticles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector assembly comprising:
a cable comprising:
a plurality of cable strands forming a void space between the plurality of cable strands; and
a metal adhesive paste comprising a plurality of metallic nanoparticles disposed in the void space, wherein the plurality of metallic nanoparticles each comprises a surfactant; and

a connector comprising:
a connector end; and
a conductor connector sleeve coupled to the connector end, wherein the conductor connector sleeve receives the plurality of cable strands in a first position, and compresses the plurality of cable strands and the metal adhesive paste and displaces the surfactant in a second position.

2. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the void space in the second position of the conductor connector sleeve is about 20 to 30 percent in volume of the void space in the first position of the conductor connector sleeve.

3. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the metal adhesive paste comprises a viscosity ranging between 1000 cP and 250,000 cP.

4. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cable strands is copper or aluminum.

5. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of metallic nanoparticles is copper, silver, gold, aluminum or nickel.

6. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cable strands is copper and the plurality of metallic nanoparticles is copper.

7. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of metallic nanoparticles each have a size about or less than 20 nm.

8. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive paste comprises a flux.

9. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive paste is disposed at an end of the cable.

10. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of metallic nanoparticles each comprises a coating.

11. A method comprising:
introducing a metal adhesive paste into a void space of a cable comprising a plurality of cable strands forming the void space between the plurality of cable strands, wherein the metal adhesive paste comprises a plurality of metallic nanoparticles and the plurality of metallic nanoparticles each comprises a surfactant;
introducing the cable into a connector;
introducing the plurality of cable strands into a conductor connector sleeve of the connector; and
applying pressure to the conductor connector sleeve to move the conductor connector sleeve to a crimped position to apply pressure to the adhesive paste and displace the surfactant.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein introducing the adhesive paste comprises injecting the adhesive paste into the void space of the cable at an end of the cable.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein introducing the adhesive paste comprises dipping an end of the cable into the adhesive paste.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
applying energy to the adhesive paste; and
fusing the plurality of metallic nanoparticles to the plurality of cable strands.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
applying pressure to the adhesive paste.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein applying energy to the adhesive paste comprises applying heat to the adhesive paste.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the metal adhesive paste comprises a viscosity ranging between 1000 cP and 250,000 cP.

Assignees

• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Stoltenberg Randall Mark
• Zinn Alfred

Classifications

• H01R4/185

  combined with a U-shaped insulation-receiving portion · CPC title

• H01R4/04 Primary

  using electrically conductive adhesives · CPC title

• C09J2301/408

  additives as essential feature of the adhesive layer · CPC title

• C08K2003/0831

  Gold · CPC title

• C09J9/02

  Electrically-conducting adhesives · CPC title