Patent ID: 7871700
Filing Date: 2011-01-18
Classification: B82Y,D01F,D06M,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing composite fibers comprising two distinct layers having different compositions and physico-chemical properties and controlled, homogeneous thicknesses, wherein one of the two layers comprises carbon nanotubes and the composite fibers are obtained from carbon nanotube fibers and a first solution of a selected concentration of colloidal particles intended to constitute the second layer, comprising the following steps: providing the carbon nanotube fibers, providing the first solution, providing a second solution selected from the group consisting of saline solutions, solutions enriched with micelles to induce favorable depletion interactions, solutions enriched with non-adsorbent polymers to induce favorable depletion interactions, solutions in which the pH conditions destabilize the colloidal particles, and combinations thereof, contacting a lateral surface of the carbon nanotube fibers with a surface of the second solution, and immersing completely or partially the carbon nanotube fibers in the second solution, the immersed thickness of the carbon nanotube fibers defining the immersion area, contacting the same lateral surface of resulting pre-coated carbon nanotube fibers with a surface of the first colloidal particle solution and immersing the pre-coated carbon nanotube fibers in the first colloidal particle solution at most up to the immersion area, thereby causing chemical aggregation of the colloidal particles to locally form a colloidal gel with a fixed thickness determined by the concentration of the first colloidal particle solution, removing the fibers from the first solution, and drying and/or evaporating the solvent of the first solution remaining on the fibers.