Flexible nano coating with significantly enhanced electrical, thermal and semiconductor properties

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12084193-B2
Application number	US-202217657534-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2022
Priority date	Apr 12, 2018
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a conductive coating composition that includes a functionalized carbon nanomaterial and/or boron nanomaterial and a fluid component. The nanomaterial and fluid component forms hydrogen bond network in the disclosed composition. Because of the formed hydrogen bonds, the disclosed coating exhibits enhanced thermal or electrical conductivity. Also disclosed is a method to improve thermal or electrical conductivity of an existing coating composition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of enhancing the conductivity of a surface comprising:
(a) applying a conductive coating to the surface; wherein the conductive coating comprises
from about 85 wt-% to about 96 wt-% a fluid component comprising a polymer; wherein the polymer is a self-curing polymer, a thermoset polymer, or a thermoplastic polymer; wherein the polymer comprises polyacrylic acid, polyurethane, epoxy, or a mixture thereof, wherein the fluid component comprises a polymer and wherein the fluid component comprises one or more of a second functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond; and
from about 0.5 wt-% to about 10 wt-% a carbon nanomaterial; wherein the nanomaterial is a carbon nanomaterial having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond or a boron nanomaterial; and
wherein the nanomaterial is dispersed within the fluid component;

(b) curing the conductive coating to form a cured conductive coating; wherein the cured conductive coating is flexible and does not crack; and wherein the conductive coating's resistance is lower than the fluid component by at least about 10% when measured under the same conditions; and
wherein the surface is a part of an aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying is performed by painting, printing, and/or spraying the conductive coating onto the surface.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the applying is performed manually and/or by a machine.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the printing is performed by 3D printing, inkjet printing, and/or sonitek printing.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the curing is performed by self-curing, UV curing, thermal curing, free radical curing, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second functional group is a hydrophilic functional group.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first functional group and/or the second functional group is an —OH, —NH, —COOH, —F, —BH, —O—, —N—, or combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanomaterial is carbon nanotube, carbon nanofiber, graphite particle, graphene particle, or combination thereof having at least one dimension that is less than 10,000 nanometers.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomaterial is an OH functionalized carbon nanomaterial, a fluorine functionalized carbon nanomaterial, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid component further comprises water, a water miscible solvent, or a mixture thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive coating further comprises a dye, a reflective material, a viscosity modifier, or mixture thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive coating has improved thermal conductivity than the fluid component by at least about 10% when measured by the same test under the same conditions.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive coating's resistance is lower than the fluid component by at least about 20% when measured under the same conditions.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the conductive coating further comprises a reflective material.

Assignees

• South Dakota Board Of Regents

Inventors

• Hong Haiping
• Widener Christian
• Christensen Gregory Lee

Classifications

• C09D5/24 Primary

  Electrically-conducting paints {(conductive materials H01B1/00)} · CPC title

• G05D1/652

  Take-off (delivering or retrieving payloads G05D1/667) · CPC title

• B64D43/00

  Arrangements or adaptations of instruments · CPC title

• B64D31/08

  for keeping cruising speed constant · CPC title

• B64D31/04

  actuated personally · CPC title