Patent Description:
Conventionally, electric lines constituted of a core wire made of one or more wires and an insulating cover that covers that core wire have been used as power lines or signal lines in various areas such as automobiles and industrial equipment. As materials forming the wire that constitutes the core wire, copper or a copper alloy is typically used from the perspective of electrical characteristics, but in recent years, aluminum or aluminum alloys have been proposed from the perspective of reducing weight. For example, the specific gravity of aluminum is approximately <NUM>/<NUM> that of copper and the conductivity of aluminum is approximately <NUM>/<NUM> that of copper (based on a standard in which pure copper is <NUM>% IACS, pure aluminum is approximately <NUM>% IACS). Thus, in order to pass the same current in an aluminum wire as a copper wire, it is necessary to increase the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to approximately <NUM> times that of a copper wire, and even if an aluminum wire with this increased cross-sectional area were to be used, the mass of the aluminum wire would be approximately half that of a pure copper wire, and therefore, the use of an aluminum wire is advantageous from the perspective of reducing weight.

Against this backdrop, recently, there has been a trend of increasing performance and functionality of automobiles, industrial equipment, and the like, and as a result, there has been an increase in the number of various electrical instruments, control instruments, and the like that are being installed, and thus, there is an increase in the number of electrical wires used in such instruments. Meanwhile, in order to improve the fuel economy of a moving body such as an automobile in order to help the environment, there is strong demand for reduced weight for wires.

As a new means for achieving further reductions in weight, there have been new proposals for techniques that use carbon nanotubes for wires. Carbon nanotubes form a three-dimensional network structure constituted of a single cylindrical wall having a hexagonal grid network structure, or constituted of multiple walls disposed substantially coaxially. Carbon nanotubes are lightweight as well as having excellent characteristics such as conductivity, current capacity, elasticity, and mechanical strength, and thus, are garnering attention as a substitute for metals used in power lines or signal lines.

The specific gravity of carbon nanotubes is approximately <NUM>/<NUM> that of copper (approximately <NUM>/<NUM> that of aluminum), and carbon nanotubes individually have a higher conductivity than copper (resistivity of <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm). Thus, theoretically, if a carbon nanotube aggregate were formed by intertwining a plurality of carbon nanotubes, it would be possible to achieve further reductions in weight and higher conductivity. However, if nm-level carbon nanotubes were intertwined to form a µm-to-mm-level carbon nanotube aggregate, then contact resistance between carbon nanotubes as well as internal defects would cause an increase in resistance for the wire as a whole, which has meant that using carbon nanotubes as is to form a wire has been difficult.

One method to improve conductivity in a carbon nanotube aggregate is to control the network structure (chirality) of carbon nanotubes, which are the component units, and to dope the carbon nanotubes.

There is a method in which carbon nanotubes having two or more walls are doped using at least one type of dopant, for example. In this method, when forming carbon nanotubes or after forming carbon nanotube wires, the carbon nanotubes are doped by sputtering, spraying, soaking, or the introduction of a gas phase, thereby forming a carbon nanotube wire having a dopant including iodine, silver, chlorine, bromine, fluorine, gold, copper, aluminum, sodium, iron, antimony, arsenic, or a combination thereof. It is indicated that as a result, electrical properties such as high specific conductivity, low resistivity, high current-carrying capacity, and thermal stability can be attained (Patent Document <NUM>, for example). <CIT> refers to carbon nanotube fiber comprising one or more fiber threads, wherein the one or more fiber threads comprise multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and wherein the multi-walled carbon nanotubes are doped with one or more dopants such as iodine. <NPL>) refers to Raman spectroscopy of iodine-doped double-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition.

However, the above patent document only indicates that a carbon nanotube aggregate in which double-walled carbon nanotubes are doped with iodine has a resistivity of <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm. In other words, compared to a resistivity of <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm for copper or a resistivity of <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm for aluminum, the resistivity of a carbon nanotube aggregate is higher by more than an order of magnitude, and thus, would not be a satisfactory substitute for copper or aluminum for use as a wire. Also, amid rapid and dramatic advances in performance and functionality that are anticipated for various industrial fields, further reduction in resistivity is demanded.

An object of the present invention is to provide a carbon nanotube aggregate, a carbon nanotube composite material, and a carbon nanotube wire by which it is possible to realize further reduction in resistance compared to conventional carbon nanotube aggregates, as well as realizing comparable resistivity to copper and aluminum, and realizing major improvement in electrical properties.

That is, the above problem is addressed by the invention below.

According to the present invention, the proportion of the number of carbon nanotubes having a two- or three-walled structure in relation the total number of carbon nanotubes constituting the carbon nanotube aggregate is <NUM>% or greater, and among peaks due to a G band of a Raman spectrum in Raman spectroscopy, a G+/Gtotal ratio due to semiconductor carbon nanotubes is <NUM> or greater. In other words, by forming a configuration such that the proportion of CNTs having a number of walls (two or three) that can bring about maximum doping effects is in the above-mentioned range, and setting the proportion of the number of semiconductor CNTs in relation to all the CNTs constituting the CNT aggregate to within the above-mentioned range, it is possible to achieve even lower resistance compared to conventional carbon nanotube wires, and it is also possible to achieve a substantially equivalent resistivity to the <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm of copper and the <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm of aluminum. Thus, it is possible to provide a carbon nanotube aggregate with greatly improved electrical characteristics.

Also, according to the present invention, a carbon nanotube composite material includes a carbon nanotube having a structure with one or more walls, and an element that is different from carbon included inside the carbon nanotube, a minimum distance between carbon atoms forming the carbon nanotube and an atom of the different element being less than a distance between the carbon atoms forming the carbon nanotube and a center position of the carbon nanotube in a radial direction cross-section. As a result, carriers are generated in the carbon nanotube and the amount of carriers contributing to conductivity can be increased, and thus, it is possible to realize greater conductivity than in carbon nanotube composite materials doped in a conventional manner, and it is possible to provide the carbon nanotube composite material with greatly improved electrical characteristics.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> schematically show the structure of a carbon nanotube wire according to an embodiment of the present invention. The carbon nanotube wire shown in <FIG> is one example, and the shape, dimensions, and the like of each structure in the present invention are not limited to those of <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, a carbon nanotube wire <NUM> (hereinafter referred to as "CNT wire") according to the present embodiment is constituted of bundles <NUM> (hereinafter referred to as CNT bundles or CNT aggregate) including a plurality of carbon nanotubes having one or more walls, and a plurality of the CNT bundles <NUM> are intertwined. The outer diameter of the CNT wire <NUM> is <NUM> to <NUM>.

As shown in the enlarged view of <FIG>, the CNT bundle <NUM> is formed as a bundle in which a plurality of carbon nanotubes 11a (hereinafter referred to as CNTs) are aggregated together, and the axial directions of the plurality of CNTs are all substantially the same.

Also, the CNTs 11a constituting the CNT bundle <NUM> are tubes having a single-walled structure or a multi-walled structure, which are respectively referred to as single-walled nanotubes (SWNT) and multi-walled nanotubes (MWNT). For ease of viewing, in <FIG>, only CNTs having a two-walled structure are shown, but in reality, there are also CNTs with three-walled structures. CNTs having a single-walled structure or a structure with four or more walls may be included among the CNT bundles <NUM>, but there are fewer of these than CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure.

As shown in <FIG>, the CNT 11a has a three-dimensional network structure in which two tubular bodies T1 and T2 having a hexagonal grid network structure are arranged coaxially, and is referred to as a double-walled nanotube (DWNT). The hexagonal grid, which is the component unit, is a six-membered ring having a carbon atom at each vertex, and each of six-membered rings is adjacent to other six-membered rings, all of which are successively coupled. Also, the plurality of CNTs 11a are doped with an element(s) or molecule(s) that is different from carbon by a doping process to be described later.

The properties of the CNT 11a depend on the chirality of the tube such as that described above. Chirality is mainly classified as being of an armchair type, a zigzag type, or other chiral types. The armchair chirality type behaves like a metal, the chiral type behaves like a semiconductor, and the zigzag type has a behavior intermediate therebetween. Thus, the conductivity of the CNT depends greatly on the chirality, and in order to improve the conductivity of the CNT aggregate, it was seen as crucial to increase the proportion of armchair-type CNTs, which behave like metals. On the other hand, it was found that by doping a chiral-type CNT, which behaves like a semiconductor, with a substance (element different from carbon) having electron-donating or electron-accepting properties, the CNT could be imparted with metallic properties. Also, for typical metals, doping them with an element that is different from carbon results in diffusion of conduction electrons in the metal, thus reducing conductivity, and similarly, doping CNTs with metallic properties with an element different from carbon reduces its conductivity.

Thus, the effect of doping metallic CNTs and the effect of doping semiconductor CNTs are in a trade-off relationship in terms of conductivity, and thus, theoretically, it is preferable that metallic CNTs and semiconductor CNTs be produced separately with only semiconductor CNTs being doped, and the metallic CNTs and semiconductor CNTs being combined thereafter. However, it is difficult to selectively produce metallic CNTs and semiconductor CNTs with current manufacturing techniques, and metallic CNTs and semiconductor CNTs are produced in a mixed state. Thus, in order to improve conductivity of a CNT wire made of a mixture of metallic CNTs and semiconductor CNTs, it is necessary to select a CNT structure for which doping with an element(s) or molecule(s) that is different from carbon would be effective.

In the present embodiment, in order to attain a low resistivity CNT aggregate, the aggregate is configured to have a prescribed proportion of CNTs that have a number of walls that can bring about the maximum doping effects, while optimizing the percentage of the number of semiconductor CNTs with respect to the total number of CNTs constituting the CNT aggregate.

In the present embodiment, in the CNT aggregate <NUM> formed by bundling the plurality of CNTs 11a the proportion of the sum of the number of two- or three-walled CNTs to the number of the plurality of CNTs 11a. is <NUM>% or greater of. An example of the results of measuring the number of walls of the CNTs constituting the CNT aggregate <NUM> is shown in the graphs of <FIG>. In <FIG>, the proportion of the sum of the number of two-walled CNTs (<NUM>) and the number of three-walled CNTs (<NUM>) to the total number of CNTs (<NUM>) constituting the CNT aggregate <NUM> is <NUM>% (=<NUM>/<NUM>×<NUM>). In other words, where the total number of all the CNTs constituting one CNT aggregate is NTOTAL, the total number of CNTs (<NUM>) having a two-walled structure among all of the CNTs is NCNT(<NUM>), and the total number of CNTs (<NUM>) having a three-walled structure among all of the CNTs is NCNT(<NUM>), the relationship can be expressed by the following formula (<NUM>).

CNTs with a small number of walls such as those with a two- or three-walled structure have a higher conductivity than CNTs with a larger number of walls. Also, the dopant is introduced inside the innermost wall of the CNTs or in gaps between CNTs formed by a plurality of CNTs. The distance between the walls of the CNT is comparable to the <NUM>, which is a distance between layers of graphite, and in terms of size, it is difficult for a dopant to enter between the walls of a CNT having a large number of walls. Thus, although the doping effects would be seen by introducing dopants both to the inside and outside of the CNTs, in the case of CNTs having a large number of walls, the doping effect is difficult to be exhibited in tubes located on the inside, which is not in contact with the outermost wall or the innermost wall. By the reasons above, when doping multi-walled CNTs, the doping effect is most pronounced in two- or three-walled CNTs. Also, the dopant is often a reagent having a high reactivity, with strong electrophilicity or nucleophilicity. Single-walled CNTs are less rigid than multi-walled CNTs and have low chemical resistance, and thus, when subjected to doping, the structure of the CNT itself is sometimes damaged. Thus, the present invention is focused on the number of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure included in the CNT aggregate. If the proportion of the number of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure is less than <NUM>%, then the proportion of CNTs having a single-walled structure or a structure having four or more walls becomes high, resulting in a low doping effect for the CNT aggregate as a whole, which means that high conductivity cannot be attained. Thus, the proportion of the total number of two- or three-walled CNTs is set to the above-mentioned range.

In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the outer diameter of the outermost walls of the CNTs constituting the CNT aggregate <NUM> be <NUM> or less. An example of the results of measuring the outer diameter of the outermost walls of the plurality of CNTs constituting the CNT aggregate <NUM> is shown in the graphs of <FIG>. In <FIG>, the outer diameter of the outermost walls of all of the CNTs constituting the CNT aggregate is <NUM> or less. In particular, among all of the CNTs, CNTs with an outermost wall having an outer diameter of <NUM> to <NUM> constitute the greatest number of CNTs, and CNTs with an outermost wall having an outer diameter of <NUM> to <NUM> constitute the second greatest number of CNTs. If an outer diameter of the outermost wall of the CNTs constituting the CNT aggregate <NUM> exceeds <NUM>, it is undesirable since this results in the porosity due to gaps between CNTs and gaps at the innermost wall becoming large, which results in reduced conductivity.

When a carbon-based substance is analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, a peak in the spectrum resulting from in-plane oscillation of a six-membered ring, referred to as a G band, is detected in the vicinity of a Raman shift of <NUM>-<NUM>. Also, as shown in <FIG>, CNTs have a tubular shape, and thus, the G band splits into two, and thus, there are two spectral peaks: G+ band and G- band. The spectral analysis results of <FIG> correspond to those of Working Example <NUM> to be described later. The G+ band corresponds to the longitudinal wave (LO) mode in the axial direction of the CNTs while the G- band corresponds to the transverse wave (TO) mode perpendicular to the axial direction. Whereas the peak of the G+ band appears in the vicinity of <NUM>-<NUM> regardless of the outer diameter, the peak of the G- band shifts from the G+ band in a manner inversely proportional to the square of the outer diameter of the CNTs.

The G band of the metallic CNTs is split into the G+ band and the G- band as described above, but the peaks thereof are small, and the peak of the G+ band is particularly small. On the other hand, there is a split between the G+ band and the G- band in semiconductor CNTs as well, but the peak of the G+ band is very high compared to that of the G+ band of metallic CNTs. Thus, if the proportion of the G+ band in the G band is very high, it can be inferred that the CNTs behave as semiconductors, and a similar inference can be made for CNT aggregates as well.

Assuming spectral peak characteristics such as those described above, as shown in <FIG>, in the CNT aggregate <NUM> of the present embodiment, among peaks due to the G band of the Raman spectrum, the proportion by area of G+ bands due to semiconductor CNTs in relation to Gtotal (G+/Gtotal ratio) is <NUM> or greater. If the G+/Gtotal ratio is less than <NUM>, the proportion of semiconductor CNTs is low, and good conductivity from doping cannot be attained.

On the other hand, <FIG> show G bands detected for CNT aggregates that are outside the scope of the present invention. The spectral analysis results of <FIG> correspond to those of Comparison Examples <NUM> to <NUM> to be described later. In the CNT aggregate of <FIG>, the proportion of CNTs with a two- or three-walled structure is <NUM>% and the G+/Gtotal ratio is <NUM>; in the CNT aggregate of <FIG>, the proportion of CNTs with a two- or three-walled structure is <NUM>% or less (most common number of walls for CNTs: <NUM>), and the G+/Gtotal ratio is <NUM>. Additionally, in the CNT aggregate of <FIG>, the proportion of CNTs with a two- or three-walled structure is <NUM>% or less (most common numbers of walls for CNTs: <NUM>-<NUM>) with no spectral peak of the G band being detected; in the CNT aggregate of <FIG>, the proportion of CNTs with a two- or three-walled structure is <NUM>% or less (most common numbers of walls for CNTs: <NUM> or greater) with no spectral peak of the G band being detected. The resistivity of all of the CNT aggregates shown in <FIG> is <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm or greater, as will be described later. The D' bands appearing in <FIG> are peaks resulting from defects, similar to D bands.

In the present embodiment, a G/D ratio, which is a ratio of the G band and the D band due to the crystallinity in the Raman spectrum, is defined. The D band appears in the vicinity of a Raman shift of <NUM>-<NUM>, and can also be said to be a peak due to defects. The ratio of D band to G band (G/D ratio) is used as an indicator for the amount of defects in the CNTs, and the greater the G/D ratio is, the fewer defects there are in the CNTs.

In the CNT aggregate <NUM> of the present embodiment, the G/D ratio, which is the ratio of the G band and the D band due to the crystallinity in the Raman spectrum, is <NUM> or greater. As shown in <FIG>, as a result of detecting four points (n=<NUM> to <NUM>) in the CNT aggregate <NUM> with consideration for variation among the measurement samples, it was found that the G/D ratio for all four points is <NUM> or greater. Specifically, for n=<NUM> the G/D ratio is <NUM> (<FIG>), for n=<NUM> the G/D ratio is <NUM> (<FIG>), for n=<NUM> the G/D ratio is <NUM> (<FIG>), and for n=<NUM> the G/D ratio is <NUM> (<FIG>). If the G/D ratio is less than <NUM>, then crystallinity is low and good conductivity cannot be attained.

<FIG> are graphs for describing the G/D ratio in the Raman spectrum of carbon nanotube aggregates that are outside the scope of the present invention. The spectral analysis results of <FIG> correspond to those of Comparison Examples <NUM> to <NUM> to be described later; in the comparison examples, a measurement for n=<NUM> is made and the average thereof is determined for all samples with consideration for variation in the measurement values. That is, the graphs shown in <FIG> each show one given point where n=<NUM>. In the CNT aggregate of <FIG> the G/D ratio is <NUM> and in the CNT aggregate of <FIG> the G/D ratio is <NUM>; meanwhile, in the CNT aggregate of <FIG> the G/D ratio is <NUM> and in the CNT aggregate of <FIG> the G/D ratio is <NUM>. In the CNT aggregates shown in <FIG>, the average resistivity (n=<NUM>) is greater than or equal to <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm as described later.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by configuring the CNT aggregate <NUM> such that CNTs having a number of walls (two or three walls) that can bring about the maximum doping effects constitute <NUM>% or greater and setting the G+/Gtotal ratio indicating the ratio of the number of semiconductor CNTs in relation to all the CNTs 11a constituting the CNT aggregate <NUM> to be <NUM> or greater, it is possible to achieve even lower resistance compared to conventional CNT wires, and it is also possible to achieve a substantially equivalent resistivity to the <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm of copper and the <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm of aluminum. Thus, it is possible to provide a CNT aggregate with greatly improved electrical characteristics.

A carbon nanotube composite material according to the invention comprises carbon nanotubes having one or more walls; and an element that is different from carbon and included inside the carbon nanotubes, wherein a ratio of a total number of carbon nanotubes that have two or three walls relative to a number of said carbon nanotubes constituting the carbon nanotube composite material is <NUM>% or greater, wherein, among peaks due to a G band of a Raman spectrum in Raman spectroscopy, a G+/Gtotal ratio due to semiconductor carbon nanotubes is <NUM> or greater, wherein a G/D ratio that is defined as a ratio in the Raman spectrum of the G band and a D band due to a crystallinity is <NUM> or greater, and wherein a minimum distance between carbon atoms forming the carbon nanotube and an atom of the element is less than a distance between said carbon atoms forming an innermost wall of the carbon nanotube and a center of the innermost wall in a radial direction cross section. <FIG> schematically shows a carbon nanotube composite material; <FIG> is a partial plan view showing an example of a CNT composite material formed by doping a single-walled CNT with lithium, which is an element that is different from carbon, and <FIG> is a side view thereof.

As shown in <FIG>, the CNT composite material 12a includes a CNT <NUM> having a single-walled structure and an element <NUM> that is different from carbon and included inside the CNT. In the present embodiment, CNTs <NUM> doped with the element <NUM> that is different from carbon will be referred to as the CNT composite material. By placing an atom of the element <NUM> inside the CNT <NUM>, it is possible to generate many carriers inside the CNT <NUM>.

In the CNT composite material 12a, a minimum distance L1 between center positions Pc of the carbon atoms 13a constituting the CNT <NUM> and a center position Pd of the atom of the element <NUM> that is different from carbon is less than a distance L2 between the center positions Pc of the carbon atoms 13a and a center position P of the CNT <NUM> in a cross-section taken in the radial direction (<FIG>). It is preferable that the minimum distance L1 between the carbon atoms 13a constituting the CNT <NUM> and the atom of the element <NUM> that is different from carbon be <NUM> angstroms (Å) to <NUM> angstroms, inclusive. With the minimum distance L1 between the carbon atoms 13a and the atom of the element <NUM> being set to within that range, charge transfer can occur more easily, and more carriers resulting from conductivity are generated in the CNT <NUM>.

The CNT composite material <NUM> can be produced by heating the CNTs for a few hours at a high temperature in a vapor containing the doping atoms, for example. As a result, it is possible to attain a CNT composite material in which the center position Pd of the atom of the element <NUM> that is different from carbon is offset from the center position P of the CNT <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the atom of the element <NUM> that is different from carbon is located in the single-walled CNT <NUM>, but the configuration is not limited thereto, and as shown in <FIG>, a CNT composite material 15a may include a CNT <NUM> having a multi-walled structure and an element <NUM> that is different from carbon and included inside the innermost wall <NUM>-<NUM> among the multiple walls. According to the present invention, the CNT composite material includes CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure and an element, which is different from carbon, positioned in the innermost wall of the wall structure. In this case, a minimum distance L1' between center positions Pc' of the carbon atoms 16a constituting the innermost wall <NUM>-<NUM> of the CNT <NUM> and a center position Pd' of the atom of the element <NUM> is less than a distance L2' between the center positions Pc' of the carbon atoms 16a and a center position P of the innermost wall <NUM>-<NUM> in a cross-section taken in the radial direction.

It is preferable that the minimum distance L1 between the carbon atoms 13a constituting the CNT <NUM> and the atom <NUM> of the element that is different from carbon be <NUM> angstroms (Å) to <NUM> angstroms, inclusive. With the minimum distance L1 being set to within that range, charge transfer can occur more easily and more carriers are generated inside the innermost wall <NUM>-<NUM>, similar to what was described above.

In the CNT composite material configured as described above, if the CNT structure is the same, electric characteristics of the CNT composite material can be made to differ depending on the doping element with which the CNT is doped. A single-walled CNT was used, and a simulation by first principles calculation was performed with a focus on elements that are different from carbon and primarily belong to group <NUM>, group <NUM>, and group <NUM> of the periodic table, and the following calculation and evaluation was performed for (i) the stability of the dopant (element different from carbon), (ii) the charge transfer amount, and (iii) the mass increase ratio.

The simulation by first principles calculation used the Kohn-Sham equation based on density functional theory (DFT). In density functional theory, by expressing the exchange-correlation potential, which represents the mutual effect between electrons, using a functional of electron density, it is possible to increase the speed of calculating the electron state. Also, the exchange-correlation potential was expressed by generalized gradient approximation (GGA), and additionally, a plane-wave basis function having a cutoff energy of <NUM> Ryd was used. The cutoff energy pertains to the number of wave functions used for calculation and the number of wave functions is proportional to the <NUM>/<NUM> power of the cutoff energy. The k point sampling number was set to <NUM>×<NUM>×<NUM>. Calculation was performed using "Quantum-ESPRESSO" as the calculation software.

Stability was evaluated such that an adsorption energy of -<NUM> eV or less was deemed good (O), an adsorption energy of not less than -<NUM>. 0eV and less than <NUM> eV was deemed somewhat good (△), and an adsorption energy of <NUM> eV or greater was deemed bad (×).

Charge transfer amount is evaluated by calculating the charge transfer amount (number/dopant) between the carbon atoms constituting the CNT and the atom of the element that is different from carbon and positioned at the closest position to the carbon atoms. Specifically, by using software that performs the first principles calculation, the CNT structure (distance) is refined, and the charge transfer amount at this time is calculated. If the charge transfer amount between the dopant and the CNT is <NUM> or greater per dopant, it was evaluated as very good (⊚), if the charge transfer amount is not less than <NUM>/dopant and less than <NUM>/dopant, it was evaluated as good (○), if the charge transfer amount is not less than <NUM>/dopant and less than <NUM>/dopant, it was evaluated as somewhat good (△), and if the charge transfer amount is less than <NUM>/dopant, then it was evaluated as bad (×).

The mass increase ratio was calculated by determining the ratio of the mass of the CNT composite material in relation to the mass of the CNT for when the carrier density is <NUM>×<NUM><NUM>/cm<NUM> (carrier density corresponding to metallic CNT).

First, the stability of the dopant when a CNT with no defects is used is indicated in Table <NUM> and in <FIG> with the broken line. Also, the results of calculating the charge transfer amount and the mass increase ratio when a CNT with no defects is used are indicated in Table <NUM> and in <FIG> with the broken line.

As a result, it was determined that when the dopant is lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), or iodine (I), the adsorption energy is less than <NUM> eV and the dopant has good stability, and a stable dopant being placed in the CNT makes it possible to stably exhibit characteristics such as temperature characteristics necessary for electrical wires. In particular, if the dopant is potassium, rubidium, cesium, or barium, the adsorption energy is less than -<NUM> eV, and thus, it can be seen that the dopant stability is even better.

Also, if the dopant is lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, strontium, barium, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine, then the absolute value of the charge transfer amount from the dopant to the CNT is <NUM>/dopant or greater, and thus, it is found that the charge transfer amount and the conductivity within the CNT are good.

At this time, the ratio of the mass of the CNT composite material to the mass of the CNT constituting the CNT composite material (mass increase ratio) is <NUM> to <NUM> when the CNTs are doped with a dopant selected from among the above group, and as a result, a carrier density equivalent to metallic CNTs can be attained (Table <NUM>).

Next, the stability of the dopant for when a CNT having defects is used is indicated in Table <NUM> and in <FIG> with the solid line. Also, the results of calculating the charge transfer amount and the mass increase ratio for when a CNT having defects is used are indicated in Table <NUM> and in <FIG> with the solid line.

As a result, it is possible to place a dopant inside CNTs with defects as well, and if the dopant is lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, calcium (Ca), strontium, barium, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine, then the adsorption energy is less than <NUM> eV, and thus, the charge transfer amount is <NUM>/dopant or greater. Also, at this time, the ratio of the mass of the CNT composite material to the mass of the CNT is <NUM> to <NUM>. Thus, it is found that even if CNTs with defects are used, the stability of the dopant and the conductivity inside the CNTs are good, and more dopant can be used to dope the CNTs.

Also, when CNTs having defects are doped with an element that is different from carbon, then compared to a case in which the same element is used to dope CNTs with no defects, the adsorption energy of the CNT composite material using CNTs having defects is reduced, and thus, it can be inferred that by adsorbing the dopants to the defects, the stability of the dopants is further improved. Thus, in the CNT composite material according to the present invention, it was shown that certain effects are attained in realizing high conductivity even when using a CNT composite material with defects.

Thus, it can be seen from the results of Tables <NUM> and <NUM> that if (a) the dopant is an element selected from among a group including lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, calcium, strontium, barium, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, then ,if (b) the charge transfer amount between carbon atoms constituting the CNT and the atom of the dopant located at the closest position is <NUM>/dopant or greater; and if (c) the ratio of the mass of the CNT composite material to the mass of the CNT is <NUM> to <NUM>, and as a result ,the dopant has good stability, the conductivity within the CNTs is good, and more dopant can be used to dope the CNTs.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the CNT composite material includes the CNT having a wall structure with one or more walls and the element that is different from carbon and included inside the CNT, and the minimum distance between carbon atoms forming the carbon nanotube and an atom of the element is less than a distance between said carbon atoms forming an innermost wall of the carbon nanotube and a center of the innermost wall in a radial direction cross section. As a result, carriers are generated in the CNT and the amount of carriers contributing to conductivity can be increased, and thus, it is possible to realize enhanced conductivity than in a conventional doped CNT composite materials, and it is possible to provide the CNT composite material with greatly improved electrical characteristics.

The CNT aggregate of the present embodiment is manufactured by the method below. First, by floating catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD), a mixture including a catalyst and a reaction accelerator is provided to a carbon source to generate a plurality of CNTs. At this time, it is possible to use a saturated hydrocarbon having a six-membered ring for the carbon source, a metal catalyst such as iron for the catalyst, and a sulfur compound for the reaction accelerator. Also, in the present embodiment, with consideration for the fact that as the carrier gas flow rate increases, the proportion of SWNTs decreases, the proportion of CNTs having two- or three-walled structures is increased by adjusting the raw material composition and the spraying conditions.

Also, in order to adjust the size of the iron, which is a catalyst, so that the outer diameter of the outermost wall of the CNT is <NUM> or less, the raw material is sprayed into a reactor such that the mist particle diameter is approximately <NUM>. Then, the plurality of CNT bundles are intertwined to form the CNT aggregate.

Then, by performing acid treatment on the CNT aggregate, any remaining iron catalyst is eliminated. Within the CNT aggregate formed by CCVD, a large amount of catalyst, amorphous carbon, and the like is included, and by performing a high purification process to remove these, the intended characteristics of the CNT aggregate can be attained. In the present embodiment, the CNTs attained by the above steps is heated to a prescribed temperature in air, and the CNTs that were heated are highly purified using a strong acid.

Next, the CNT aggregate that has undergone acid treatment is subjected to doping. In the doping process, it is preferable that doping be performed using at least one element or molecule that is different from carbon and selected from a group including nitric acid, sulfuric acid, iodine, bromine, potassium, sodium, boron, and nitrogen, and it is more preferable that doping be performed using nitric acid. Also, a plurality of carbon nanotubes may be doped with an element that is different from carbon and selected from among a group including lithium, rubidium, cesium, calcium, strontium, barium, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine. Since the dopant is injected into the CNTs from the outside, if the CNT has a multi-walled structure (MWNTs), then the outermost wall is preferentially doped and the inner walls are difficult to be doped. Thus, in the present embodiment, on the basis of the inference that first to third walls are doped to a greater degree and fourth and more walls are doped to a lesser degree, by having the proportion by number of CNTs with a two- or three-walled structure being <NUM>% or more, it is possible to increase the doping amount of the CNT aggregate as a whole, thereby attaining excellent doping effects.

In the CNT aggregate of the present embodiment attained by the manufacturing method above, the resistivity is <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm or less. This is approximately a <NUM>% reduction in resistivity compared to the minimum resistivity of <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm attained in the conventional technique. Although this resistivity is somewhat higher than the <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm resistivity of copper or the <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm resistivity of aluminum, the resistivity is still of the same order of magnitude (×<NUM>-<NUM>). Thus, if the CNT aggregate of the present embodiment is used as a wiring material instead of copper or aluminum, then it is possible to maintain a comparable resistivity to that of copper and aluminum while achieving reduced weight.

A CNT aggregate and a CNT composite material according to embodiments of the present invention was described above.

Further, a CNT-covered electrical wire including a carbon nanotube wire made by bundling the CNT aggregate of the embodiment above, and a cover layer that covers the outside of the carbon nanotube wire may be configured. In particular, the CNT aggregate and the CNT composite material of the present embodiment are suitable as a material for wires for electric lines for transmitting power or signals, and are even more suitable as a material for wires for electric lines installed in a moving body such as a four-wheeled vehicle. This is due to the fact that the wires would be lighter weight than metal electric lines, which means that improved fuel economy can be anticipated.

Also, a wire harness having at least one carbon nanotube covered electric line may be configured.

Below, working examples of the present invention will be explained. The present invention is not limited to the working examples below.

In a CNT manufacturing device as shown in <FIG>, floating catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) was used such that a raw material solution L containing decahydronaphthalene as the carbon source, ferrocene as the catalyst, and thiophene as the reaction accelerator was provided by spraying into an alumina pipe <NUM> with an internal diameter Φ of <NUM> and a length of <NUM> that was heated to <NUM> by an electric furnace <NUM>. As a carrier gas G, hydrogen was provided at <NUM>/min. The CNT that was produced was collected in sheet form by a collector <NUM>, and this sheet was wound and twisted to produce the CNT aggregate. Next, the CNT aggregate that was produced was heated to <NUM> in air, and then highly purified by performing acid treatment thereon. Then, nitric acid doping was performed on the highly purified CNT aggregate. A CNT aggregate with a diameter of approximately <NUM> as shown in <FIG> was attained.

Next, the structure and characteristics of the CNT aggregate were measured and evaluated by the method below.

The cross-section of the CNT aggregate generated under the above conditions was observed and analyzed under a transmission electron microscope as shown in <FIG>, and the number of walls of each of the approximately <NUM> CNTs and the outer diameter of the CNTs located in the outermost area of the CNT aggregate were measured.

A Raman spectrum was obtained by performing measurements using a Raman spectroscopy device (made by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. ; product name "Almegra XR") under the following conditions: excitation laser of <NUM>; laser intensity reduced to <NUM>%; objective lens with 50x magnification; and exposure time of <NUM> second × <NUM> times. Next, a spectral analysis software "Spectra Manager" made by JASCO Corporation was used to extract data in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> from the Raman spectrum, and to perform resolved analysis on a group of peaks detected in this range using Curve Fitting. The baseline is a line connecting the detection intensities at <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM>. Within the G bands, the peak detected at the strongest intensity near <NUM>-<NUM> is the G+ band, and the peak observed at a lower frequency near the range of <NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> is the G- band, and where Gtotal is defined to be "area of G+ peak + area of G- peak", the ratio of G+/Gtotal was calculated. The G/D ratio was calculated according to the peak top heights of the G band and the D band (detection intensity calculated by subtracting baseline value from peak top) from the Raman spectrum extracted in a similar manner to that described above.

The CNT composite material was connected to a resistance measurement device (made by Keithley; product name "DMM <NUM>") and the resistance was measured by four-terminal sensing. The resistivity was calculated on the basis of the formula r=RA/L (R: resistance; A: cross-sectional area of CNT aggregate; L: measurement length).

A CNT composite materials were produced by the conventional technique in each of Comparison Examples <NUM> to <NUM>. The number of walls and outer diameters of the CNTs in the produced CNT aggregate, the resistivity of the CNT aggregate, and the G/D ratio and G+/Gtotal ratio were measured by a similar method to the working examples. In each comparison example, three points were measured (n=<NUM>) and the average thereof was determined.

The measurement results of Working Examples <NUM> and <NUM> and Comparison Examples <NUM> to <NUM> are shown in Table <NUM>.

In Working Examples <NUM> and <NUM>, clear spectral peaks due to a G band and D band near the range of <NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> were observed. From the results of Table <NUM>, it was found that in Working Example <NUM>, the amount of single-walled CNTs was small, and <NUM>% of the CNTs had a two- or three-walled structure (<FIG>). Also, the diameters of the CNTs located in the outermost areas of the generated CNT aggregate were <NUM> or less (<FIG>). The G/D ratio, which is an indicator of crystallinity of the CNT, was <NUM>, the G+/Gtotal ratio attained on the basis of the G+ band (<NUM>-<NUM>) and the G- band (<NUM>-<NUM>) was <NUM>, and the resistivity at that time was <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm, which is lower than in conventional configurations.

In Working Example <NUM>, the proportion of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure was <NUM>%, the G/D ratio was <NUM>, the G+/Gtotal ratio was <NUM>, and the resistivity was <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm, and thus, similar to Working Example <NUM>, a resistivity lower than that in conventional configurations was attained.

On the other hand, in Comparison Example <NUM>, the proportion of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure was <NUM>%, the G/D ratio was <NUM>, and the G+/Gtotal ratio was <NUM>; the G+/Gtotal ratio is outside of the range of the present invention, and thus, the resistivity deteriorated to <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm.

In Comparison Example <NUM>, the proportion of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure was <NUM>% or less (most CNTs had a single-walled structure), the G/D ratio was <NUM>, and the G+/Gtotal ratio was <NUM>; the proportion of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure is outside of the range of the present invention, and thus, the resistivity deteriorated to <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm.

In Comparison Example <NUM>, the proportion of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure was <NUM>% or less (most CNTs had a four- to twelve-walled structure), the G/D ratio was <NUM>, and the G+/Gtotal ratio was incalculable (spectral peaks of G band not detected); the proportion of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure, the G/D ratio, and the G+/Gtotal ratio are outside of the range of the present invention, and thus, the resistivity deteriorated to <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm.

In Comparison Example <NUM>, the proportion of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure was <NUM>% or less (most CNTs had a structure with <NUM> or more walls), the G/D ratio was <NUM>, and the G+/Gtotal ratio was incalculable (spectral peaks of G band not detected); the proportion of CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure, the G/D ratio, and the G+/Gtotal ratio are outside of the range of the present invention, and thus, the resistivity deteriorated to <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm.

Next, a CNT aggregate produced by a similar manufacturing method to that of Working Example <NUM> was prepared, and the CNT aggregate was doped with iodine instead of the nitric acid, which was the dopant for Working Example <NUM>. Also, in Working Example <NUM>, aside from doping being performed with potassium, the CNT composite material was manufactured by the same method to Working Example <NUM>.

In Comparison Example <NUM>, the CNT aggregate was manufactured by the same method to that of Working Example <NUM>, but was not doped. In Comparison Example <NUM>, a CNT composite material doped with iodine was manufactured in the same manufacturing method to Working Example <NUM>, and the iodine dopant was positioned closer to the center of the innermost wall of the CNTs having the two- or three-walled structure compared to the CNT composite material of Working Example <NUM>. In Comparison Example <NUM>, a CNT composite material similar to Working Example <NUM> was manufactured except that potassium was used as the dopant, and the potassium dopant was positioned closer to the center of the innermost wall of the CNTs having the two- or three-walled structure.

In Working Examples <NUM> and <NUM> and Comparison Examples <NUM> to <NUM>, the minimum distance between the innermost wall of the CNTs constituting the CNT composite material and the dopant was calculated by the method below. Also, the resistivity of the CNT composite material was measured and evaluated by the same method to that described above.

Regarding the CNT composite material generated in Working Examples <NUM> and <NUM>, a simulation by first principles calculation was performed using single-walled CNTs, and the minimum distance between the innermost wall of the CNT and the dopant in each CNT composite material was calculated and evaluated.

The simulation for first principles calculation was performed using the calculation software "Quantum-ESPRESSO", and the Kohn-Sham equation based on density functional theory (DFT) was used. Also, the exchange-correlation potential was expressed by GGA. Additionally, a plane-wave basis function having a cutoff energy of <NUM> Ryd was used. Calculation was performed with the k point sampling number being set to <NUM>×<NUM>×<NUM>.

For confirmation, the minimum distance between the innermost wall of the CNT and iodine was measured and compared with the calculated value. Using CNTs having a two- or three-walled structure that were doped with iodine, a measurement of approximately <NUM> points was performed randomly from a TEM image of the CNT cross section after doping to determine the minimum distance. As a result, the margin of error in the calculated value of the minimum distance by simulation was less than <NUM>% compared to the measured value (actual measured value) of the minimum distance, and thus, it was found that the calculated value and the actual measured value were substantially the same.

As shown in Table <NUM>, in Working Example <NUM>, it was confirmed that iodine was located at the innermost wall of the CNT as shown in <FIG>. Also, the minimum distance between the innermost wall of the CNTs and the iodine atom as the dopant was <NUM>Å, and the resistivity was <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm. In Working Example <NUM>, it was confirmed that potassium was located at the innermost wall of the CNT as shown in <FIG>. Also, the minimum distance between the innermost wall of the CNTs and the iodine as the dopant was <NUM>Å, and the resistivity was <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm.

On the other hand, in Comparison Example <NUM>, the resistivity was <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm, which is worse than in Working Examples <NUM> and <NUM>. Also, in Comparison Example <NUM>, the iodine was located closer to the center of the innermost wall of the CNT than in Working Example <NUM> and the resistivity was <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm, which is worse than in Working Examples <NUM> and <NUM>. Also, in Comparison Example <NUM>, the potassium was located closer to the center of the innermost wall of the CNT than in Working Example <NUM> and the resistivity was <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Ω·cm, which is worse than in Working Examples <NUM> and <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A carbon nanotube aggregate, comprising:
a plurality of carbon nanotubes each having one or more walls,
wherein a ratio of a total number of carbon nanotubes that have two or three walls relative to a number of said carbon nanotubes constituting the carbon nanotube aggregate is <NUM>% or greater, and
wherein, among peaks due to a G band of a Raman spectrum in Raman spectroscopy, a G+/Gtotal ratio due to semiconductor carbon nanotubes is <NUM> or greater, and
wherein a G/D ratio that is defined as a ratio in the Raman spectrum of the G band and a D band due to a crystallinity is <NUM> or greater.