Skoltech (Skoltech Photonics’ Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Skoltech Materials), together with partners from Jiangsu University and Belarussian State University, have published a work showcasing another practical and scalable application of single-walled carbon nanotubes. The study came out in the Carbon journal.

“The work aligns with our laboratory’s strategy of scaling nanomaterials for industrial applications. With single-walled carbon nanotubes used as sensors, we are able to help detect and manipulate polymer production variables as needed, as well as understand how the material is behaving when applied practically. Here, in one of the most influential carbon nanotube labs in Russia and the only one in Skoltech working on carbon nanotube synthesis and application, our motivation to bring such technologies to market is very strong,” says Professor Albert Nasibulin, the head of the Laboratory of Nanomaterials at Skoltech Photonics.

The study showcases a simple, yet hard to achieve concept — using a single sensor monitoring technique, which allows the detection of a polymer’s property during its entire lifecycle, from manufacturing to application. Although the concept is simple, integrating such passive sensors is hard without causing the host materials’ properties to degrade, or without sacrificing sensitivity for various lifecycle stages. Here, the authors managed to bypass both, while identifying unique mechanisms of action which underlie sensor performance.

“We’ve managed to really show the flexibility of our single-walled carbon nanotubes in this work. We can integrate them during the manufacturing of large polymer parts, and they also cause no loss in material properties. We identified optimized parameters for their operation, and by changing something as simple as thickness, we can fine tune their sensitivity and applications. They can be applied on or in polymers, meaning that already produced profiles can be monitored by simply placing the sensors on the material surface,” says Hassaan Ahmad Butt, a co-author and a research scientist from the Laboratory of Nanomaterials at Skoltech Photonics.

The study was carried out in partnership with scientists from China and Belarus. “This joint work was brought to life as part of the long-term and very productive cooperation with our international partners. We hope to continue cooperation and develop bilateral ties, which will allow us to achieve a synergistic effect in our field of research,” said Dmitry Krasnikov, a study co-author, an assistant professor at Skoltech Photonics.

The Laboratory of Nanomaterials is currently engaged in a wide range of industrially funded projects for the nanomaterials they produce. Multifunctional coatings and polymers, mechanically enhanced nanocomposites and ultra-sensitive sensors are just some of the areas where the research team has combined with the industry to propel their innovative material solutions.