Aluminum Conductors usingCarbon and Carbon Nanotube Additions

ABSTRACT: This proposal is in response to Air Force topic to improve the electrical properties of aluminum or copper wires especially at higher temperatures.Electrical conductors are key components of just about every power device or system. However, increasing demands for power and data pushes the need for more capacity, and the total contribution of electrical conductor weight to the system has become significant in aircraft, ships, rail, and automobiles and power applications like overhead transmission lines.In this Phase I and eventual Phase II we propose the development for carbon nanotube (CNT) aluminum current carrying composites, in terms of improving their electrical properties, thermal properties, as well as their other properties.We will focus on CNT additions to aluminum, and the composites made with them as base metals.We will focus on the properties of conductivity, ampacity (maximum current which can be carried), thermal conductivity, heat generation and removal at high currents, and mass normalized values of these first four properties. This will be our focus in Phase I, in Phase II it will be necessary to consider other aspects, including strength, scalability, affordability, process control, andprocesses.; BENEFIT: The initial market applications will be where weight is at a premium and electrical wiring is needed. These include obvious industries like overhead transmission lines, aircraft, outer space, military, transportation (ships, trains, and autos), and wind turbine generators on tall towers. The secondary industries that are addressable include where high current densities are needed to obtain higher magnetic fields. Some of the early market applications where these high performance carbon nanotube (CNT) wires could penetrate the marketplace are motors, generators, fault current limiters, transformers, transmission cables, MRI, and High Energy Physics type applications.