Sugikuro® yarn is electrically copper-plated which is the first industrial product with CNT yarn.
Up to now, copper-plated on carbon surface is implemented using electroless plating method. CNT yarn is also copper-plated the electroless method in which the yarn surface is preliminary treated.
We successfully developed electrical copper-plated CNT yarn that is fabricated using the conventional copper-plated processing without any change. The plated copper is durable in the electron beam bombardment test.
The characteristics as electrical wire, the specific density is about half or less than the same diameter copper wire. Resistivity of 8 µm thickness of copper-plated and 35 µm diameter as total cross section is equivalent to the same diameter copper wire.
This copper-plated CNT yarn offers ultra light weight wire harness and electric motor without losing the copper characteristics.
The cross section of Cu plated CNT yarn. The density is about a half of copper wire in the same diameter.
50 µm O.D. copper-plated CNT Yarn. The thickness of copper-plated is 8 µm. The surface is not treated.
SEM image of the electron bombardment test to evaluate the surface durability. EDS mappings show no damage by electrons.