Super-Compressible Foamlike Carbon Nanotube Films
Anyuan Cao,1*
Pamela L. Dickrell,2
W. Gregory Sawyer,2
Mehrdad N. Ghasemi-Nejhad,1
Pulickel M. Ajayan3*
We report that freestanding films of vertically aligned carbon
nanotubes exhibit super-compressible foamlike behavior. Under
compression, the nanotubes collectively form zigzag buckles
that can fully unfold to their original length upon load release.
Compared with conventional low-density flexible foams, the nanotube
films show much higher compressive strength, recovery rate,
and sag factor, and the open-cell nature of the nanotube arrays
gives excellent breathability. The nanotube films present a
class of open-cell foam structures, consisting of well-arranged
one-dimensional units (nanotube struts). The lightweight, highly
resilient nanotube films may be useful as compliant and energy-absorbing
coatings.
2 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
3 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: anyuan{at}hawaii.edu (A.C.); ajayan{at}rpi.edu (P.M.A.)
