Nanofibrous Carbon Hybrids for Low-Cost Tailored Device Production

Carbon nanostructures have great potential, which has been largely unrealized in a significant commercial sense. The primary challenges are often related to efficient production at scale and control of device architecture. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are a potential alternative to carbon nanotubes, albeit with some loss of performance in terms of electrical or mechanical properties. The countervailing assets, however, are their simplicity in production and diversity in morphology. They have been studied in various aspects of synthesis and functionality for decades, but in recent years a new process for creating bulk devices in situ has been developed. This technique, the constrained formation of fibrous nanostructures (CoFFiN) process, allows free-standing, nonwoven carbon structures to be created repeatedly and reliably at low cost. A recent adaptation has also demonstrated the ability to create hybrid structures incorporating other carbon materials into the fibrous network, which results in a shorter processing time and higher surface area. These CNF hybrids can be made with precise geometries, are strong and robust, and can be tailored to possess a diverse range of properties, making them suitable for electronic devices, composite reinforcement, filtration and purification, etc. The current state of the art, comparison to other nanofibrous structures, and ongoing developments will be discussed.