The ultralow-density, ultrahigh surface area bulk material with an interconnected nanotubular makeup could be used in energy storage and conversion, thermal insulation, shock energy absorption and high energy density physics.
The three-dimensional nanotubular network architecture developed by the team also opens new opportunities in the fields of energy harvesting, catalysis, sensing and filtration by enabling mass transport through two independent pore systems separated by a nanometer-thick 3D membrane.
Unlocking the full potential of the material, however, requires realization of mechanically robust architectures with deterministic control over form, cell size, density and composition, which is difficult to achieve by traditional chemical synthesis methods, according to LLNL’s Monika Biener, lead author of a paper appearing on the cover of the July 23 issue of Advanced Materials. The paper is entitled ‘Ultra-Strong and Low-Density Nanotubular Bulk Materials with Tunable Feature Size’.
Biener and colleagues report on the synthesis of ultralow-density, ultrahigh surface area bulk materials with interconnected nanotubular morphology. The team achieved control over density (5 to 400 mg/cm3), pore size (30 µm to 4 µm) and composition by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using nanoporous gold as a tunable template.
“The materials are thermally stable and, by virtue of their narrow unimodal pore size distributions and their thin-walled, interconnected tubular architecture, about 10 times stronger and stiffer than traditional aerogels of the same density,” explained Biener.
Source: http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/en/nanotubular-material-opens-new-energy-harvesting-opportunities.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=222922024&vID=209
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