High density mechanical energy storage with carbon nanothread bundle

Abstract

The excellent mechanical properties of carbon nanofibers bring promise for energy-related applications. Through in silico studies and continuum elasticity theory, here we show that the ultra-thin carbon nanothreads-based bundles exhibit a high mechanical energy storage density. Specifically, the gravimetric energy density is found to decrease with the number of filaments, with torsion and tension as the two dominant contributors. Due to the coupled stresses, the nanothread bundle experiences fracture before reaching the elastic limit of any individual deformation mode. Our results show that nanothread bundles have similar mechanical energy storage capacity compared to (10,10) carbon nanotube bundles, but possess their own advantages. For instance, the structure of the nanothread allows us to realize the full mechanical energy storage potential of its bundle structure through pure tension, with a gravimetric energy density of up to 1.76 MJ kg −1 , which makes them appealing alternative building blocks for energy storage devices.

Synthesis of double core chromophore-functionalized nanothreads by compressing azobenzene in a diamond anvil cell

“…10 The interest in the synthesized material is essentially related to its potentially extraordinary mechanical properties which combine exibility, resilience and tensile strength and the way in which they can be tuned by controlling the quality and length of the threads. 11,12 These remarkable properties have recently allowed the use of nanothread bundles for realizing energy storage devices 13 or as nanollers to realize high thermal conductivity composites. 14 The nanothread formation from benzene crystals has been fully rationalized identifying the crucial non-topochemical reaction step as due to the uniaxial stress which can be realized in the DAC avoiding the use of any hydrostatic compression medium.…”

Mechanical Properties of Single‐Layer Diamond Reinforced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanocomposites through Atomistic Simulation

“…[ 34 ] The AIREBO contains short‐range covalent interactions and long‐range vdW interactions, which has been commonly used to investigate the mechanical and thermal properties of carbon nanomaterials. [ 35–38 ] The cutoff distance for the vdW interactions was set as 12.5 Å, [ 39 ] and the vdW interactions was described by the 6–9 Lennard–Jones (LJ) potential. The long‐range Coulomb interactions within the PVA matrix were treated by the Ewald summation method.…”

“…A same constant strain rate was applied for the shear deformation, and the other two directions of the model were maintained by the NVT ensemble. During the deformation, the Von Mises stress is calculated based on the atomic virial stress, [ 37 ] and the atomic volume is estimated by using the Voronoi tessellation algorithm. [ 46 ]…”

Applications of Carbon Nanotubes in the Internet of Things Era

“…Besides, carbon nanotubes have shown the high capability of storing mechanical energy [157], e.g., flywheels for kinetic energy storage [158], which could be utilized in an uninterruptable power supply. CNT yarn twist can convert mechanical energy into electricity [159].…”