JP7214556B2 - Carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing method and carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a technique for producing a carbon nanotube compact.

In recent years, it has been proposed to mold a plurality of carbon nanotubes into various shapes and use them in various products such as heaters and sensors. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a relatively small heating element in which a sheet-like or fibrous carbon nanotube structure is fixed between two substrates via an adhesive. On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, a carbon nanotube array, which is an assembly of a large number of carbon nanotubes erected on the surface of a cylindrical substrate, is irradiated with a laser to form spiral grooves, and subarrays located between the grooves are formed. is disclosed to form a linear carbon nanotube wire.

Japanese Patent No. 5721995 U.S. Pat. No. 8,431,053

By the way, when trying to increase the size of a product such as a heater using carbon nanotubes, usually, a large number of carbon nanotube fibers or the like are connected in the longitudinal direction, and then arranged in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and connected between electrodes. This can complicate the manufacturing of the product. In addition, there is a possibility that uneven heat generation occurs in the direction in which many carbon nanotube fibers are arranged. For this reason, there is a demand for a tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body that is relatively long and wider than carbon nanotube fibers.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to easily produce a relatively long tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body.

The invention according to claim 1 is a method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body, wherein a) a laminated CNT sheet, which is a carbon nanotube sheet in which a plurality of layers are laminated, is wound around a cylindrical outer surface of a holding roller. b) in a state in which the laminated CNT sheet is cut at the cutting point in the lamination direction by the cutting unit, the holding roller is rotated around a rotation axis directed in the axial direction to prepare the laminated CNT; a step of continuously cutting out a tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body from the laminated CNT sheet by moving the cutting point relative to the holding roller in the axial direction while cutting the sheet in the circumferential direction ; ) a step of winding and collecting the carbon nanotube molded body after the step b); and d) separating the carbon nanotube molded body in the longitudinal direction between the b) step and the c) step. continuously measuring the resistance of the carbon nanotube compact between two measurement positions .

The invention according to claim 2 is the method for producing the carbon nanotube molded body according to claim 1, further comprising a step of sandwiching and consolidating the carbon nanotube molded body in the stacking direction after the step b). Prepare.

The invention according to claim 3 is the method for producing the carbon nanotube molded body according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the collection speed of the carbon nanotube molded body is set by the feeding speed of the carbon nanotube molded body from the holding roller. By increasing the speed, the carbon nanotube compact is stretched.

The invention according to claim 4 is the method for manufacturing the carbon nanotube molded body according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the resistance of the carbon nanotube molded body between the two measurement positions is 4 terminals. measured by the law.

The invention according to claim 5 is the method for producing the carbon nanotube molded body according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body is formed after the step b). It further comprises a step of bundling to form a line.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body, wherein the laminated CNT sheet, which is a carbon nanotube sheet in which a plurality of layers are laminated, is formed on the cylindrical outer surface. a holding roller that holds the CNT sheet in a wound state, a first rotating mechanism that rotates the holding roller around a rotation axis facing the axial direction, and a cutting unit that cuts the laminated CNT sheet in the lamination direction at the cutting point. and, in parallel with rotating the holding roller by the first rotating mechanism to cut the laminated CNT sheet in the circumferential direction, by relatively moving the cutting point in the axial direction with respect to the holding roller. , a cutting point moving mechanism for continuously cutting out a tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body from the laminated CNT sheet, a collection roller for winding and collecting the carbon nanotube molded body, and a second rotation mechanism for rotating the collection roller. and a resistance measuring unit for continuously measuring the resistance of the carbon nanotube molded body between two measuring positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the carbon nanotube molded body between the holding roller and the collecting roller. .

The invention according to claim 7 is the carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the carbon nanotube molded body is sandwiched in the stacking direction and compacted between the holding roller and the recovery roller. It further comprises a pair of compaction rollers.

The invention according to claim 8 is the carbon nanotube compact manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein the rotation control unit controls the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotation mechanism and the second rotation mechanism. and the holding roller and the The carbon nanotube compact is stretched between the collection rollers.

The invention according to claim 9 is the carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the resistance measurement unit measures the carbon nanotube molded body at the two measurement positions via a pair of power supply terminals. and in a non-contact state with the pair of power supply terminals at the two measurement positions through a constant current power supply that flows a constant amount of current between the two measurement positions, and a pair of voltmeter terminals. a voltmeter that is in contact with the carbon nanotube compact and measures the voltage between the two measurement positions, wherein the resistance of the carbon nanotube compact between the two measurement positions is the current from the constant current power supply value and the voltmeter measurement.

The invention according to claim 10 is the carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the resistance measuring unit stacks the carbon nanotube molded body between the holding roller and the recovery roller. a pair of first rollers sandwiching and compressing the carbon nanotube compact in a direction, and between the holding roller and the recovery roller, the carbon nanotube molded body is spaced apart from the pair of first rollers in the longitudinal direction of the carbon nanotube molded body, and the carbon nanotube A constant-current power supply for supplying a current of a constant magnitude between a pair of second rollers for sandwiching and consolidating the compact in the stacking direction, one of the pair of first rollers, and one of the pair of second rollers. and a voltmeter for measuring the voltage between the other of the pair of first rollers and the other of the pair of second rollers, wherein the voltage between the pair of first rollers and the pair of second rollers The resistance of the carbon nanotube molded body is obtained as the resistance of the carbon nanotube molded body between the two measurement positions based on the current value from the constant current power supply and the measured value by the voltmeter.

The invention according to claim 11 is the carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10 , wherein the tape-shaped carbon nanotubes are disposed between the holding roller and the recovery roller. It further comprises a shaping section for bundling the molded bodies into a linear shape.

According to the present invention, a tape-shaped carbon nanotube compact can be easily produced.

It is a side view which shows the CNT molded object manufacturing apparatus which concerns on one embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows a part of CNT molded object manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the flow of manufacture of a CNT compact. It is a side view which shows a CNT molded object manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows a part of flow of manufacture of a CNT compact.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a carbon nanotube compact manufacturing apparatus 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "CNT compact manufacturing apparatus 1") according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the CNT compact manufacturing apparatus 1. FIG. The CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for manufacturing a tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body 92 (hereinafter also referred to as "CNT molded body 92").

The CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a holding roller 21, a first rotating mechanism 22, a cutting unit 23, a cutting point moving mechanism 24, a collecting roller 25, a second rotating mechanism 26, a rotation control unit 31, and a resistance measuring unit 4 . 2, illustration of the first rotating mechanism 22, the second rotating mechanism 26, the rotation control section 31, and the resistance measuring section 4 is omitted.

The holding roller 21 is a substantially columnar or substantially cylindrical member centered on a rotation axis J1 oriented in a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "axial direction"). The outer surface of the holding roller 21 is a substantially cylindrical surface extending substantially parallel to the axial direction. Since the axial direction is also the direction corresponding to the width direction of the CNT molded body 92 manufactured by the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1, it is also referred to as the "width direction."

A carbon nanotube sheet (hereinafter also referred to as a "CNT sheet"), which is a member in which a large number of carbon nanotubes are formed into a sheet shape, is wound on the outer surface of the holding roller 21 in a state of being laminated in multiple layers. ing. In other words, the holding roller 21 holds a plurality of laminated carbon nanotube sheets (hereinafter, also referred to as "laminated CNT sheet 91") in a wound state on the outer surface. The number of laminated CNT sheets in the laminated CNT sheet 91 is, for example, 40-100. The number of laminations may be appropriately changed within a range of 2 or more. A large number of carbon nanotubes forming the laminated CNT sheet 91 are oriented in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis J1 of the holding roller 21 . In this specification, the term "sheet-like" means a shape having a thin thickness with respect to the vertical and horizontal lengths. In addition, the sheet shape in this specification is a concept including a shape called a film shape.

The first rotating mechanism 22 rotates the holding roller 21 about the rotation axis J1. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the first rotating mechanism 22 rotates the holding roller 21 clockwise in the drawing. The first rotating mechanism 22 is, for example, an electric rotating motor connected to the holding roller 21 .

The collecting roller 25 is a substantially columnar or substantially cylindrical member centered on the rotation axis J2 that faces in the axial direction. The outer surface of the collection roller 25 is a substantially cylindrical surface extending substantially parallel to the axial direction. The second rotating mechanism 26 rotates the recovery roller 25 around the rotation axis J2. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the second rotating mechanism 26 rotates the collection roller 25 clockwise in the drawing. The second rotating mechanism 26 is, for example, an electric rotating motor connected to the collection roller 25 .

The cutting section 23 cuts the laminated CNT sheet 91 held by the holding roller 21 in the lamination direction. The lamination direction is the thickness direction of the laminated CNT sheet 91, and is also the radial direction about the rotation axis J1. The cutting of the laminated CNT sheet 91 by the cutting section 23 is performed at one point (hereinafter also referred to as "cutting point 231") in the axial direction and in the circumferential direction about the rotation axis J1. In the following description, the radial direction and the circumferential direction about the rotation axis J1 are also simply referred to as the “radial direction” and the “circumferential direction”.

In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the cutting unit 23 is a cutter supported above the holding roller 21 with the blade edge in contact with the outer surfaces of the laminated CNT sheet 91 and the holding roller 21 . The cutter may be an ultrasonic cutter that finely vibrates the cutting edge by applying ultrasonic waves. The cutting unit 23 may be, for example, a laser light source that cuts the laminated CNT sheet 91 by irradiating a laser beam toward a cutting point 231 (that is, a substantially dotted cutting position). The cutting part 23 may have various structures other than the cutter and the laser light source as long as the laminated CNT sheet 91 can be cut at the cutting point 231 .

The cutting point moving mechanism 24 is a mechanism for moving the cutting point 231 by the cutting section 23 relative to the holding roller 21 in the axial direction. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the breaking point moving mechanism 24 is an electric linear motor having a mover that moves along a guide extending substantially linearly in the axial direction. The cutting part 23 is fixed to the moving element, and the cutting part 23 moves axially together with the moving element, so that the cutting point 231 also moves relative to the moving element in the axial direction. The cutting portion 23 may not move in the axial direction, and the cutting point 231 may be relatively moved in the axial direction by moving the holding roller 21 in the axial direction by the cutting point moving mechanism 24 . As described above, when the cutting section 23 is a laser light source, the cutting point moving mechanism 24 is a mechanism for scanning the laser light emitted from the cutting section 23 in the axial direction. In this case, an acousto-optic deflection element, a polygon mirror, a resonant galvanomirror, or the like can be used as the breaking point moving mechanism 24 .

In the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 , the holding roller 21 is rotated by the first rotating mechanism 22 to move the cutting point 231 of the cutting part 23 relative to the laminated CNT sheet 91 in the circumferential direction. cut in the circumferential direction. In parallel with the cutting in the circumferential direction, the cutting point moving mechanism 24 moves the cutting portion 23 to move the cutting point 231 relative to the laminated CNT sheet 91 in the axial direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, a tape-shaped (that is, strip-shaped with respect to the length) CNT compact 92 is continuously cut out spirally from the laminated CNT sheet 91 and recovered from the holding roller 21. It is let out toward the roller 25 .

The width of the tape-shaped CNT compact 92 (so-called carbon nanotube tape) cut out from the laminated CNT sheet 91 is, for example, 0.1 mm to 100 mm, preferably 1 mm to 50 mm. In the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1, the width of the CNT molded body 92 can be adjusted by adjusting at least one of the rotation speed of the holding roller 21 and the relative movement speed of the cutting point 231 in the axial direction. Specifically, the width of the CNT compact 92 can be narrowed by increasing the rotation speed of the holding roller 21 or decreasing the relative movement speed of the cutting point 231 . Also, the width of the CNT compact 92 can be increased by decreasing the rotation speed of the holding roller 21 or by increasing the relative movement speed of the cutting point 231 .

In FIG. 2, the laminated CNT sheet 91 includes a portion that has been cut by the cutting section 23 and has already been fed out from the holding roller 21 (that is, a portion separated from the holding roller 21 as a tape-shaped CNT compact 92). The positions where the In the tape-shaped CNT molded body 92, multiple layers (for example, 40 to 100 layers) of thin CNT sheets are laminated in the thickness direction (that is, the vertical direction in FIG. 1).

The tape-shaped CNT compact 92 fed out from the holding roller 21 is wound up and recovered by the recovery roller 25 rotated by the second rotating mechanism 26 . The recovery roller 25 holds the tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 in a state of being wound on the outer surface. The collecting roller 25 winds up and collects the CNT molded body 92 while swinging substantially parallel to the rotation axis J2 (that is, reciprocating) by a swinging mechanism (not shown). For example, an electric linear motor or the like can be used as the swinging mechanism.

Rotation control unit 31 controls the rotation speed of at least one of first rotation mechanism 22 and second rotation mechanism 26 . In the present embodiment, rotation control unit 31 individually controls the rotation speeds of both first rotation mechanism 22 and second rotation mechanism 26 . The rotation control unit 31 is implemented by, for example, a normal computer system including a processor, memory, input/output unit, bus, and the like. A bus is a signal circuit that connects a processor, a memory, and an input/output unit. The memory stores programs and various information. The processor executes various processes (for example, numerical calculations, etc.) while using the memory or the like according to programs or the like stored in the memory. The input/output unit receives inputs from the operator and outputs signals to other components (for example, the first rotation mechanism 22 and the second rotation mechanism 26). Each function of the rotation control unit 31 (for example, a storage unit and a calculation unit) is realized by the computer system performing processing based on a predetermined program. The rotation control unit 31 may be, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC: Programmable Logic Controller), a circuit board, or the like.

In the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 , the speed of collecting the CNT molded body 92 by the collection roller 25 is made faster than the delivery speed of the CNT molded body 92 from the holding roller 21 under the control of the rotation controller 31 . As a result, the tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 is stretched in the longitudinal direction between the holding roller 21 and the collecting roller 25 . As a result, the CNT molded body 92 is tightened (ie, densified), and the adhesion between many carbon nanotubes forming the CNT molded body 92 is improved. Note that the recovery speed and delivery speed of the CNT molded body 92 described above may be the same, or the recovery speed may be slower than the delivery speed.

The resistance measuring section 4 includes a pair of first rollers 41a and 41b, a pair of second rollers 42a and 42b, a constant current power source 43, a voltmeter 44, and a resistance computing section 45. The resistance calculator 45 is implemented by a normal computer system, like the rotation controller 31 described above. The resistance calculator 45 may be realized together by a computer system that realizes the rotation controller 31 .

A pair of first rollers 41 a and 41 b are arranged between the holding roller 21 and the collection roller 25 . Each of the first roller 41a and the first roller 41b is a substantially columnar or substantially cylindrical member centered on a rotation axis perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1, and is rotatable about the rotation axis. be. The first roller 41a and the first roller 41b are arranged above and below the tape-shaped CNT compact 92 moving from the holding roller 21 to the collection roller 25, respectively. The first roller 41 a contacts the upper main surface (that is, the upper surface) of the CNT compact 92 . The first roller 41b contacts the lower main surface (that is, the lower surface) of the CNT compact 92 . The first rollers 41 a and 41 b preferably contact the CNT molded body 92 over the entire width of the CNT molded body 92 . The first rollers 41a and 41b are, for example, conductive rollers whose outer surfaces are made of a conductive material such as metal or conductive resin. The first rollers 41 a and 41 b are electrically connected to the CNT compact 92 .

The first roller 41a and the first roller 41b face each other vertically in a non-contact state with the CNT compact 92 interposed therebetween. The vertical distance between the first roller 41 a and the first roller 41 b is smaller than the vertical thickness of the CNT compact 92 fed from the holding roller 21 . Therefore, the CNT molded body 92 is compressed vertically (that is, in the thickness direction) by passing between the first roller 41a and the first roller 41b. In other words, the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b are a pair of compaction rollers that pinch and compact the CNT compact 92 in the stacking direction. Note that one of the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b may be pressed toward the other with the CNT compact 92 interposed therebetween. The pressing is realized by, for example, an air cylinder or the like.

A pair of second rollers 42 a and 42 b are arranged between the holding roller 21 and the collecting roller 25 . The pair of second rollers 42a and 42b are spaced apart from the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction in FIG. . In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the pair of second rollers 42 a and 42 b are arranged between the pair of first rollers 41 a and 41 b and the collecting roller 25 . Each of the second roller 42a and the second roller 42b is a substantially columnar or substantially cylindrical member centered on a rotation axis perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1, and is rotatable about the rotation axis. be.

The second roller 42a and the second roller 42b are arranged above and below the tape-shaped CNT compact 92 moving from the holding roller 21 to the collecting roller 25, respectively. The second roller 42 a contacts the upper surface of the CNT compact 92 . The second roller 42b contacts the lower surface of the CNT compact 92. As shown in FIG. The second rollers 42 a and 42 b preferably contact the CNT molded body 92 over the entire width of the CNT molded body 92 . The second rollers 42a and 42b are, for example, conductive rollers whose outer surfaces are made of a conductive material such as metal or conductive resin. The second rollers 42a, 42b are electrically connected to the CNT compact 92. As shown in FIG.

The second roller 42a and the second roller 42b face each other in the vertical direction with the CNT molded body 92 interposed therebetween in a non-contact state. The vertical distance between the second roller 42a and the second roller 42b is smaller than the vertical thickness of the CNT compact 92 after passing through the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b. Therefore, the CNT molded body 92 is compressed vertically (that is, in the thickness direction) by passing between the second rollers 42a and 42b. In other words, the pair of second rollers 42a and 42b are a pair of compaction rollers that sandwich and compact the CNT compact 92 in the stacking direction. Note that one of the pair of second rollers 42a and 42b may be pressed toward the other with the CNT compact 92 interposed therebetween. The pressing is realized by, for example, an air cylinder or the like.

The resistance measuring unit 4 measures the electric resistance (hereinafter also simply referred to as "resistance") of the CNT compact 92 between the pair of first rollers 41a, 41b and the pair of second rollers 42a, 42b. In the following description, the position at which the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b contact the CNT compact 92 and the position at which the pair of second rollers 42a and 42b contact the CNT compact 92 are referred to as "measurement position 46." Also called That is, the resistance measuring section 4 measures the resistance of the CNT molded body 92 between two measurement positions 46 separated in the longitudinal direction of the CNT molded body 92 between the holding roller 21 and the collection roller 25 .

Specifically, a constant current power supply 43 is electrically connected to one of the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b and to one of the pair of second rollers 42a and 42b. be. A voltmeter 44 is electrically connected to the other first roller of the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b and the other second roller of the pair of second rollers 42a and 42b.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the constant current power supply 43 is electrically connected to the first roller 41a and the second roller 42b. The constant current power supply 43 is electrically connected to the upper surface of the CNT compact 92 via the first roller 41a, and electrically connected to the lower surface of the CNT compact 92 via the second roller 42b. A voltmeter 44 is electrically connected to the first roller 41b and the second roller 42a. The voltmeter 44 is electrically connected to the bottom surface of the CNT molded body 92 via the first roller 41b, and electrically connected to the top surface of the CNT molded body 92 via the second roller 42a.

In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the first roller 41 a and the second roller 42 b are a pair of power supply terminals that electrically connect the two measurement positions 46 of the CNT compact 92 and the constant current power supply 43 . In other words, the constant current power supply 43 contacts the CNT compact 92 at the two measurement positions 46 via the first roller 41a and the second roller 42b, which are the pair of power supply terminals. The constant current power supply 43 applies a constant current through the CNT compact 92 between the first roller 41a and the second roller 42b (that is, between the two measurement positions 46).

Also, the first roller 41 b and the second roller 42 a are a pair of voltmeter terminals that electrically connect the two measurement positions 46 of the CNT compact 92 and the voltmeter 44 . In other words, the voltmeter 44 contacts the CNT compact 92 at two measurement positions 46 via the first roller 41b and the second roller 42a, which are the pair of voltmeter terminals. As described above, the first roller 41b and the second roller 42a, which are a pair of voltmeter terminals, are in contact with the CNT compact 92 in a non-contact state with the first roller 41a and the second roller 42b, which are a pair of power supply terminals. do. A voltmeter 44 measures the voltage between the first roller 41b and the second roller 42a (that is, between the two measurement positions 46).

A current value supplied from the constant-current power supply 43 and a value measured by the voltmeter 44 (hereinafter also referred to as “voltage measurement value”) are sent to the resistance calculator 45 . In the resistance calculator 45, the CNT between the pair of first rollers 41a, 41b and the pair of second rollers 42a, 42b (that is, between the two measurement positions 46) is calculated based on the current value and the voltage measurement value. The resistance of the compact 92 is determined. Specifically, the resistance of the CNT compact 92 between the two measurement locations 46 is determined by dividing the voltage measurement described above by the current value. Then, by dividing the resistance by the length of the CNT compact 92 between the two measurement locations 46 (i.e., the longitudinal distance between the two measurement locations 46), the resistance per unit length of the CNT compact 92 is resistance is required.

Acquisition of voltage measurements by the voltmeter 44 described above is performed by the so-called four-probe method. In other words, the resistance of the CNT compact 92 between the two measurement positions 46 is measured by the 4-probe method. In the four-terminal method, almost no current flows through the first roller 41b and the second roller 42a, which are a pair of voltmeter terminals, due to the high input impedance of the voltmeter 44. FIG. Therefore, the influence of the resistance of the first roller 41b and the second roller 42a and the contact resistance between the first roller 41b and the second roller 42a and the CNT compact 92 is suppressed, and the voltage between the two measurement positions 46 is reduced. Accurate measurement is possible. Therefore, the resistance of the CNT molded body 92 between the two measurement positions 46 and the resistance per unit length of the CNT molded body 92 can be obtained with high accuracy.

Next, the flow of manufacturing the CNT molded body 92 by the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the holding roller 21 around which the laminated CNT sheet 91 is wound is prepared, and the holding roller 21 is attached to the CNT compact manufacturing apparatus 1, thereby preparing the laminated CNT sheet 91 (step S11). . The holding roller 21 around which the laminated CNT sheet 91 is wound is, for example, a CNT sheet pulled out from a carbon nanotube array, which is an assembly of a large number of carbon nanotubes erected on a substrate. It is formed in advance by being wound on the outer surface a predetermined number of times.

Subsequently, the cutting part 23 is brought close to the holding roller 21 and the laminated CNT sheet 91 on the holding roller 21 is cut by the cutting part 23 at the cutting point 231 in the stacking direction. The laminated CNT sheet 91 is cut by the cutting section 23 over the entire thickness in the lamination direction. In this state, the first rotating mechanism 22 is driven to rotate the holding roller 21 around the rotation axis J1, thereby cutting the laminated CNT sheet 91 in the circumferential direction. In addition, in parallel with cutting the laminated CNT sheet 91 in the circumferential direction, the cutting point moving mechanism 24 moves the cutting point 231 in the axial direction with respect to the holding roller 21, thereby forming tape-shaped CNTs from the laminated CNT sheet 91. The body 92 is continuously cut out spirally (step S12).

The CNT compact 92 cut out from the laminated CNT sheet 91 is compacted by being sandwiched in the lamination direction (that is, thickness direction) by a pair of first rollers 41a and 41b and a pair of second rollers 42a and 42b. (step S13). In parallel with step S13, the resistance measurement unit 4 measures the resistance of the CNT compact 92 between the two measurement positions 46 (step S14). The measurement of the resistance is made by the four-probe method, as described above.

The resistance measuring unit 4 continuously (that is, continuously or intermittently) measures the resistance between the two measurement positions 46 of the CNT compact 92 moving from the holding roller 21 toward the collection roller 25 . Then, as described above, the resistance per unit length of the CNT molded body 92 is obtained and stored in the memory or the like implemented by the computer system.

The CNT compact 92 that has passed between the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b and the pair of second rollers 42a and 42b is wound up and recovered by the recovery roller 25 rotated by the second rotation mechanism 26 (step S15). In the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1, the length of the CNT molded body 92 obtained from one laminated CNT sheet 91 held by the holding roller 21 depends on the diameter of the holding roller 21, the width of the laminated CNT sheet 91, and the CNT molding. Various changes are possible according to the width of the body 92 and the like. For example, when the diameter of the holding roller 21 and the width of the laminated CNT sheet 91 are each about 300 mm, changing the width of the CNT compact 92 between about 1 mm and about 50 mm makes the length of the CNT compact 92 about 5 m. ~ about 290m. The CNT molded body 92 may be used as it is, or may be cut into predetermined lengths (eg, 5 cm or 10 cm) and used as necessary.

In the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1, as described above, the rotation control unit 31 controls the first rotation mechanism 22 and the second rotation mechanism 26, and the collection speed of the CNT molded body 92 by the collection roller 25 is changed from that of the holding roller 21 to may be faster than the delivery speed of the CNT molded body 92 of . As a result, the CNT compact 92 between the holding roller 21 and the collection roller 25 is slightly stretched in the longitudinal direction and densified.

As described above, in the method for manufacturing the CNT molded body 92, the laminated CNT sheet 91, which is a CNT sheet in which multiple layers are laminated, is prepared in a state of being wound around the cylindrical outer surface of the holding roller 21. In the step (step S11), the laminated CNT sheet 91 is cut in the lamination direction at the cutting point 231 by the cutting unit 23, and the holding roller 21 is rotated around the rotation axis J1 directed in the axial direction to cut the laminated CNT sheet. A step of continuously cutting out a tape-shaped CNT compact 92 from the laminated CNT sheet 91 by moving the cutting point 231 relative to the holding roller 21 in the axial direction while cutting the CNT 91 in the circumferential direction (step S12). And prepare. Thereby, a relatively long tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 can be easily manufactured.

As described above, the method for manufacturing the CNT molded body 92 preferably further includes, after step S12, the step of sandwiching and consolidating the CNT molded body 92 in the stacking direction (step S13). Thereby, the density of the CNT compact 92 can be increased. As a result, the thickness uniformity of the CNT molded body 92 can be improved over substantially the entire length of the CNT molded body 92 in the longitudinal direction. Also, the strength of the CNT molded body 92 can be increased.

As described above, the method for manufacturing the CNT molded body 92 preferably further includes the step of winding and collecting the CNT molded body 92 (step S15) after step S12. Further, preferably, the CNT molded body 92 is stretched by making the collection speed of the CNT molded body 92 faster than the feeding speed of the CNT molded body 92 from the holding roller 21 . Also in this case, the density of the CNT compact 92 can be increased. The densification of the CNT molded body 92 may be achieved by both the stretching step of the CNT molded body 92 and the consolidation step (step S13) of the CNT molded body 92, or only one of the steps may be performed. may be implemented.

As described above, the method for manufacturing the CNT molded body 92 includes, after step S12, the step of measuring the resistance of the CNT molded body 92 between the two measurement positions 46 separated in the longitudinal direction of the CNT molded body 92 (step S14 ) is preferably further provided. Thereby, the resistance of the CNT molded body 92 can be obtained during the manufacture of the CNT molded body 92 . As a result, a CNT compact 92 with a known resistance can be obtained.

As noted above, the resistance of the CNT compact 92 between the two measurement locations 46 is preferably measured using the four-probe method. Thereby, the resistance of the CNT compact 92 can be measured with high accuracy.

As described above, the resistance measurement unit 4 continuously obtains and stores the resistance per unit length of the CNT molded body 92 in parallel with the manufacture of the CNT molded body 92 . When the CNT molded body 92 is used in a product such as a heater or sensor, the product is designed based on the resistance per unit length of the CNT molded body 92 . In this case, for the resistance per unit length of the CNT molded body 92, the arithmetic mean over the entire length of the CNT molded body 92 may be used, or the resistance of each portion in the longitudinal direction of the CNT molded body 92 may be used. good.

The CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 described above includes a holding roller 21 , a first rotating mechanism 22 , a cutting section 23 , a cutting point moving mechanism 24 , a collecting roller 25 and a second rotating mechanism 26 . The holding roller 21 holds a laminated CNT sheet 91, which is a CNT sheet in which a plurality of layers are laminated, while being wound around the cylindrical outer surface. The first rotating mechanism 22 rotates the holding roller 21 around a rotation axis J1 that faces in the axial direction. The cutting section 23 cuts the laminated CNT sheet 91 at the cutting point 231 in the lamination direction. The cutting point moving mechanism 24 rotates the holding roller 21 by the first rotating mechanism 22 to cut the laminated CNT sheet 91 in the circumferential direction. By moving, tape-shaped CNT molded bodies 92 are continuously cut out from the laminated CNT sheet 91 . The collection roller 25 winds up and collects the CNT compact 92 . The second rotating mechanism 26 rotates the collecting roller 25 . The CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 can easily manufacture a long tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 in the same manner as described above.

As described above, the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a pair of compaction rollers (that is, a pair of first rollers 41a , 41b or a pair of second rollers 42a, 42b). Thereby, the density of the CNT compact 92 can be increased.

As described above, the CNT molded body 92 preferably further includes the rotation controller 31 that controls the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotation mechanism 22 and the second rotation mechanism 26. Further, preferably, by controlling the rotation control unit 31, the collection speed of the CNT molded body 92 by the collection roller 25 is made faster than the delivery speed of the CNT molded body 92 from the holding roller 21, so that the holding roller 21 and the collection roller 25, the CNT compact 92 is stretched. Also in this case, the density of the CNT compact 92 can be increased.

As described above, the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 measures the resistance of the CNT molded body 92 between the two measurement positions 46 spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the CNT molded body 92 between the holding roller 21 and the collecting roller 25. It is preferable to further include a resistance measurement unit 4 that performs the measurement. Thereby, the resistance of the CNT molded body 92 can be obtained during the manufacture of the CNT molded body 92 .

As described above, the resistance measuring section 4 preferably includes the constant current power source 43 and the voltmeter 44 . The constant current power supply 43 contacts the CNT compact 92 at two measurement positions 46 via a pair of power supply terminals (that is, the first roller 41a and the second roller 42b), and between the two measurement positions 46 A constant amount of current flows. The voltmeter 44 contacts the CNT molded body 92 in a non-contact state with the pair of power supply terminals at two measurement positions 46 via a pair of voltmeter terminals (that is, the first roller 41b and the second roller 42a). and measure the voltage between the two measurement locations 46 . Then, the resistance of the CNT molded body 92 between the two measurement positions 46 is obtained based on the current value from the constant current power supply 43 and the measured value by the voltmeter 44. Thereby, the resistance of the CNT compact 92 between the two measurement positions 46 can be measured with high accuracy using the four-probe method.

As described above, the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 preferably includes a pair of first rollers 41 a and 41 b, a pair of second rollers 42 a and 42 b, a constant current power source 43 and a voltmeter 44 . The pair of first rollers 41 a and 41 b sandwiches the CNT compact 92 in the stacking direction between the holding roller 21 and the collection roller 25 to consolidate it. The pair of second rollers 42a and 42b are arranged between the holding roller 21 and the collecting roller 25 and separated from the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b in the longitudinal direction of the CNT compact 92. It is sandwiched in the stacking direction and compacted. A constant-current power supply 43 supplies a constant current between one of the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b and one of the pair of second rollers 42a and 42b. The voltmeter 44 measures the voltage between the other of the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b and the other of the pair of second rollers 42a and 42b. The resistance of the CNT molded body 92 between the pair of first rollers 41a, 41b and the pair of second rollers 42a, 42b is based on the current value from the constant current power supply 43 and the measured value by the voltmeter 44. is required.

Thereby, the densification of the CNT molded body 92 and the resistance measurement of the CNT molded body 92 can be performed in parallel. Further, by combining the structure for increasing the density of the CNT molded body 92 with the structure for measuring the resistance of the CNT molded body 92, the structure of the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 can be simplified.

In the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 4, the tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 is bundled between the holding roller 21 and the collecting roller 25 to form a line (also called a wire shape or a thread shape). A shaping section 47 may be provided. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the shaping section 47 is arranged between the pair of second rollers 42 a and 42 b and the recovery roller 25 . The shaping section 47 is, for example, a member having a through hole through which the CNT molded body 92 passes. The through-hole has, for example, a substantially circular shape with a smaller diameter than the width of the tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 before passing through the through-hole.

In the case where the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 is provided with the shaping section 47, after steps S11 to S14 shown in FIG. led to. The tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 passes through the through-holes of the shaping portion 47 and is bundled so that the cross section is substantially circular to form a linear (so-called non-twisted) CNT molded body 92 ( FIG. 5: step S21). The linear CNT molded body 92 is recovered by being wound around the recovery roller 25, as in the case of FIG. 3 (step S15).

As described above, in the method for manufacturing the CNT molded body shown in FIG. 5, the tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 is bundled into a linear shape after the step of cutting out the tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 (step S12). It further includes a step of performing (step S21). By bundling tape-shaped CNT compacts 92 in this way, relatively thick linear CNT compacts 92 (so-called carbon nanotube wires) can be easily produced.

If step S21 is performed after step S12, it does not necessarily have to be performed between step S14 and step S15. For example, the shaping section 47 is arranged between the holding roller 21 and the first rollers 41a and 41b (see FIG. 1), and the tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 fed out from the holding roller 21 is arranged between the first rollers 41a and 41b. may be bundled by the shaping section 47 so as to have a substantially circular cross section to form a linear (so-called non-twisted) CNT molded body 92 . In this case, compaction of the CNT compact 92 is performed by the shaping section 47 . That is, between step S12 and step S14 shown in FIG. 3, step S13 and step S21 are performed in parallel by the shaping section 47. This further improves the adhesion between many carbon nanotubes in the linear CNT compact 92 . Also in this case, similarly to the above, a relatively thick linear CNT molded body 92 (so-called carbon nanotube wire) can be easily manufactured.

Note that the shaping portion 47 does not necessarily have to be a member provided with a through hole, and may be changed in various ways. For example, the shaping section 47 may be a mechanism that forms a linear (so-called twisted) CNT molded body 92 by twisting a tape-shaped CNT molded body 92 .

Various modifications can be made to the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 and the method for manufacturing the CNT molded body 92 described above.

For example, the first rotating mechanism 22, the second rotating mechanism 26, and the breaking point moving mechanism 24 are not limited to the mechanisms exemplified in the above description (that is, electric rotary motors or electric linear motors), and various known It may be a rotating mechanism and a moving mechanism. Similarly, other configurations of the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 1 may be appropriately changed in structure and shape. For example, the shape of the recovery roller 25 does not necessarily have to be substantially columnar or substantially cylindrical, and may be various other shapes (for example, substantially plate-like).

In the resistance measuring section 4, a constant current power supply 43 may be connected to the first roller 41a and the second roller 42a, and a voltmeter 44 may be connected to the first roller 41b and the second roller 42b. Alternatively, the constant current power supply 43 may be connected to the first roller 41b and the second roller 42b, and the voltmeter 44 may be connected to the first roller 41a and the second roller 42a.

In the resistance measuring unit 4, the pair of power supply terminals of the constant current power supply 43 and the pair of voltmeter terminals of the voltmeter 44 used for measurement by the four-terminal method are connected to the first rollers 41a and 41b and the second rollers 42a and 42b. may be provided separately. In this case, the resistance measurement of the CNT compact 92 by the resistance measuring unit 4 (step S14) may be performed before or after the compaction of the CNT compact 92 (step S13), and may be performed in parallel with step S13. may

In the resistance measurement unit 4, the resistance measurement of the CNT compact 92 between the two measurement positions 46 may be performed by a method other than the four-probe method.

In the CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus according to the related art of the present invention , the resistance measurement unit 4 may be omitted when the resistance measurement of the CNT molded body 92 is unnecessary.

In the CNT molded body 92, one of the pair of first rollers 41a and 41b and the pair of second rollers 42a and 42b may be omitted, and the other may be used as a pair of compression rollers. The first rollers 41a, 41b and the second rollers 42a, 42b may be omitted if the CNT compact 92 does not need to be densified. Further, the stretching of the CNT compact 92 due to the difference in rotational speed between the first rotating mechanism 22 and the second rotating mechanism 26 may be omitted.

The configurations in the above embodiment and each modified example may be combined as appropriate as long as they do not contradict each other.

1 CNT molded body manufacturing apparatus 4 resistance measuring unit 21 holding roller 22 first rotating mechanism 23 cutting unit 24 cutting point moving mechanism 25 recovery roller 26 second rotating mechanism 31 rotation control unit 41a, 41b first roller 42a, 42b second roller 43 constant current power source 44 voltmeter 46 measurement position 47 shaping unit 91 laminated CNT sheet 92 CNT compact 231 breaking point J1 rotating shaft S11 to S15, S21 step

Claims (11)

A method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body,
a) a step of preparing a laminated CNT sheet, which is a carbon nanotube sheet in which multiple layers are laminated, in a state of being wound around a cylindrical outer surface of a holding roller;
b) in a state in which the laminated CNT sheet is cut in the lamination direction at the cutting point by the cutting part, the holding roller is rotated around the rotation shaft facing the axial direction to cut the laminated CNT sheet in the circumferential direction; a step of continuously cutting out a tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body from the laminated CNT sheet by relatively moving the cutting point in the axial direction with respect to the holding roller;
c) a step of winding and collecting the carbon nanotube molded body after the b) step;
d) between step b) and step c), continuously measuring the resistance of the carbon nanotube compact between two measurement positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the carbon nanotube compact;
A method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body, comprising: A method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body according to claim 1,
A method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body, further comprising a step of sandwiching and consolidating the carbon nanotube molded body in the stacking direction after the step b). A method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body according to claim 1 or 2 ,
Manufacture of a carbon nanotube molded body characterized in that the carbon nanotube molded body is stretched by making the collecting speed of the carbon nanotube molded body faster than the delivery speed of the carbon nanotube molded body from the holding roller. Method. A method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body, wherein the resistance of the carbon nanotube molded body between the two measurement positions is measured by a four-terminal method. A method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A method for producing a carbon nanotube molded body, further comprising a step of bundling the tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body into a linear shape after the step b). A carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body,
a holding roller that holds a laminated CNT sheet, which is a carbon nanotube sheet in which multiple layers are laminated, in a state of being wound around the outer surface of a cylindrical shape;
a first rotating mechanism that rotates the holding roller around a rotating shaft that faces in an axial direction;
a cutting section that cuts the laminated CNT sheet at a cutting point in the lamination direction;
In parallel with rotating the holding roller by the first rotating mechanism to cut the laminated CNT sheet in the circumferential direction, by relatively moving the cutting point in the axial direction with respect to the holding roller, the A cutting point moving mechanism for continuously cutting out a tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body from a laminated CNT sheet,
a collection roller for winding and collecting the carbon nanotube molded body;
a second rotating mechanism that rotates the recovery roller;
a resistance measuring unit for continuously measuring the resistance of the carbon nanotube molded body between two measurement positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the carbon nanotube molded body between the holding roller and the recovery roller;
A carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing apparatus comprising: The apparatus for producing a carbon nanotube molded body according to claim 6 ,
The apparatus for producing a carbon nanotube molded body, further comprising a pair of compaction rollers sandwiching and compressing the carbon nanotube molded body in the stacking direction between the holding roller and the collecting roller. The carbon nanotube compact manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 ,
further comprising a rotation control unit that controls the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotation mechanism and the second rotation mechanism;
Under the control of the rotation control unit, the collection speed of the carbon nanotube molded body by the collection roller is set to be faster than the delivery speed of the carbon nanotube molded body from the holding roller. An apparatus for producing a carbon nanotube molded body, wherein the carbon nanotube molded body is stretched between the carbon nanotube molded bodies. The apparatus for producing a carbon nanotube molded body according to claim 6 ,
The resistance measurement unit
a constant-current power supply that contacts the carbon nanotube molded body at the two measurement positions through a pair of power supply terminals and supplies a current of constant magnitude between the two measurement positions;
a voltmeter that contacts the carbon nanotube molded body in a non-contact state with the pair of power supply terminals at the two measurement positions through a pair of voltmeter terminals and measures the voltage between the two measurement positions;
with
The carbon nanotube molded body manufacturing apparatus, wherein the resistance of the carbon nanotube molded body between the two measurement positions is obtained based on the current value from the constant current power supply and the measured value by the voltmeter. The apparatus for producing a carbon nanotube molded body according to claim 6 ,
The resistance measurement unit
a pair of first rollers sandwiching and compacting the carbon nanotube compact in the stacking direction between the holding roller and the recovery roller;
Between the holding roller and the collecting roller, a pair of first rollers are arranged apart from the pair of first rollers in the longitudinal direction of the carbon nanotube molded body, and compress the carbon nanotube molded body by sandwiching the carbon nanotube molded body in the stacking direction. 2 rollers;
a constant-current power source that supplies a current of constant magnitude between one of the pair of first rollers and one of the pair of second rollers;
a voltmeter for measuring the voltage between the other of the pair of first rollers and the other of the pair of second rollers;
with
The resistance of the carbon nanotube compact between the pair of first rollers and the pair of second rollers is the current value from the constant current power supply and the resistance of the carbon nanotube compact between the two measurement positions. An apparatus for producing a carbon nanotube compact, characterized in that it is obtained based on the measured value by the voltmeter. The carbon nanotube compact manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10 ,
The apparatus for producing a carbon nanotube molded body, further comprising a shaping section between the holding roller and the collecting roller for bundling the tape-shaped carbon nanotube molded body into a linear shape.

Images