Abstract Submitted to the NANOTUBE'02 Workshop:

We describe a simple method to process carbon nanotubes into long macroscopic fibres [1]. The method consists in dispersing the nanotubes in a surfactant solution, re-condensing the nanotubes in the flow of a coagulating polymer solution to form a nanotube mesh, and then collating this mesh to a nanotube fiber. The diameters of the fibres can be varied between 10 and 100 microns. The nanotubes they contain exhibit a preferential alignment along the fibre axis. We discuss the main features of the process and its optimization for different types of nanotubes. Preliminary results show how carbon nanotubes fibers can be modified and improved using mechanical, chemical or thermal post-synthesis treatments. Although not yet optimized, we believe that already obtained fibers can be potentially useful as sensors, actuators or conducting fabrics.

[1] B. Vigolo et al., Science, vol. 290, 1331 (2000).
[2] P. Launois et al., Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, vol. 1, 67 (2001).