First up is Dr. David Ruch who heads up the department of Advanced Materials and Structures (AMS) at the Centre Recherche Public Henri Tudor.\u00a0 He talked about the work they were doing at their institute including using\u00a0CNTs for\u00a0“…plasma polymerization of materials to make them suitable for energy and barrier systems.”\u00a0 Possible applications include fuel cells, anticorrosion layers on galvanized steel, etc.<\/p>\n
Next is Dr. Jerome Guillot, a researcher on CNT functionalisation at the Department for Science and Materials Analysis (SAM) at the Public Research Centre Gabriel Lippmann.\u00a0 Dr. Guillot is a partner in the proposed Project CLAVIS I posted about earlier.\u00a0 His work centers on research about the concept of gas detection using functionalized carbon nanotubes.\u00a0\u00a0The number of potential applications that CNTs have is truly amazing.\u00a0 In this application (and in many others), it relies on the very huge surface \/ volume ration that CNTs enjoy.\u00a0 Because of my interest in using CNTs to build a Space Elevator tether, I am guilty of having ‘tunnel-vision’ regarding what CNTs can do, but the nanotube workshop I attended in Cincinnati a couple of months ago opened my eyes – and now what I’m seeing here at the 2010 EuroSpaceward conference is just reinforcing it.\u00a0 Dr. Guillot’s work with CNTs is ‘backwards’ in what others are trying to do with them.\u00a0 When trying to maximize the strength of CNTs, you want them to be as defect-free as possible.\u00a0 However, when doping them with metals (or whatever), as Dr. Guillot is doing, he wants to have defects – these are the nucleation sites.<\/p>\n
The next speaker was Dr. Philippe Poulin, a CNT fiber production expert at Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal.\u00a0 His talk was entitled “Liquid processing of carbon nanotube composite fibers”.\u00a0\u00a0 This approach to creating CNT fibers (or composite fibers) is an alternative to the “forest growth” which comes from carbon-vapor deposition (CVD) CNT growth.\u00a0\u00a0One type of Liquid processing\u00a0is\u00a0good for low CNT concentration,\u00a0very useful for making items such as conductive textiles. (‘smart’ fabrics, anti-static packaging, strain sensors, etc.).\u00a0 Another type of liquid spinning is good for high CNT concentrations, a method similar to how other synthetic fibers (such as Kevlar) are spun.<\/p>\n