Multiwalled carbon nanotubes are the cylindrical, hollow allotropes of carbon that have high diameter to length ratio. One of the most prominent properties of a MWCNT is the property of high electrical conductivity. Insulating materials can be mixed into MWCNTs to create materials with significant electric conductivity. The beneficial properties of MWCNTs have led to high demand for the product in the market. Some of the innovative applications of MWCNTs include conductive latex gloves for antistatic conveyor rollers which can dissipate the static charge or for touchscreen use. The high electrical conductivity has resulted in wide applications of MWCNTs for manufacturing of batteries.
Emerging Use of MWCNT in 3D-Printing
Carbon nanotubes are known for their mechanical, electrical, and thermal capabilities, making them ideal for 3D printing polymer integration. MWCNTs have structural flaws that serve as nucleation sites for strong interactions with polymers, cross-linking, and functionalization. If carbon nanotubes are to be employed for increased CNT based filaments, they must be dispersed uniformly in polymeric solutions. CNT aggregation’s well-known problem due to the nature of the material is that carbon nanotubes are quite difficult to disperse in a liquid which can be harmful to fused deposition modelling (FDM), potentially causing nozzle blockages and flux instability while printing. As a result, there is an increased focus on determining the concentration of CNTs that would surpass the percolation threshold (the transition between an insulating and conductive polymer) while maintaining 3D printing parameters. Thus, the increasing use of MWCNT in 3D printing composite material is giving rise to several key trends that will impact the MWCNTs market growth in the coming years.
A few players operating in the MWCNTs market are Arkema; Showa Denko KK; Hyperion Catalysis International; Klean Industries; Kumho Petrochemical; LG Chem; Nanocyl SA; Ossila Ltd; Raymor Industries Inc; Tokyo Chemical Industry Co. Ltd.; Ocsial; Eden Innovations Ltd.; and Beyond Pacific Holdings, LLC. among few others.
