Ultrabreathable and Protective Membranes with Sub-5 nm Carbon Nanotube Pores

Ngoc Bui; Eric R Meshot; Sangil Kim; José Peña; Phillip W Gibson; Kuang Jen Wu; Francesco Fornasiero

doi:10.1002/adma.201600740

Ultrabreathable and Protective Membranes with Sub-5 nm Carbon Nanotube Pores

Adv Mater. 2016 Jul;28(28):5871-7. doi: 10.1002/adma.201600740. Epub 2016 May 9.

Authors

Ngoc Bui¹, Eric R Meshot¹, Sangil Kim¹, José Peña¹, Phillip W Gibson², Kuang Jen Wu¹, Francesco Fornasiero¹

Affiliations

¹ Physical and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA.
² U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, MA, 01760, USA.

PMID: 27159328
DOI: 10.1002/adma.201600740

Abstract

Small-diameter carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are shown to enable exceptionally fast transport of water vapor under a concentration gradient driving force. Thanks to this property, membranes having sub-5 nm CNTs as conductive pores feature outstanding breathability while maintaining a high degree of protection from biothreats by size exclusion.

Keywords: breathability; carbon nanotubes; fluid transport; membrane fabrics; protection.