Ultra-Long Carbon Nanotube Non-Woven Mats and Fibers as a Light Weight Multi-Functional Platform for Innovative Applications

Tortech Nano Fibers (TNF) is a startup company founded in 2010 and located in Ma`alot, Israel, owned by Plasan Sasa Ltd. (Israel). TNF`s main challenges are:

To develop an operator-free industrial process for manufacturing continuous form of non-woven mats made solely from ultra-long carbon nanotubes (CNTs).
To transform the remarkable properties of a single CNT into a continuous macroscopic network made of CNTs
To develop new and innovative applications using the unique properties of non-woven CNT mats.

Tortech has developed a patent-protected, reliable, controllable and scalable process for manufacturing Ultra-Long CNT (ULCNTs) mats.

The core technology of Tortech is based on a novel patented process that was initially developed by Prof. Alan Windle`s lab at the Cambridge University. In general, the process is a continuous gas phase catalytic reaction between a floating catalyst and a carbon source, namely a floating catalyst CVD (FCCVD). The almost infinite interactions between the synthesized ultra-long CNTs enable the formation of a continuous, macroscopic (up to 2m²) and robust non-woven CNT mat or fiber that could be handled and used without the addition of any binders.

CNT demonstrates some unusual properties like:
Exceptional strength
High thermal conductivity
High electrical conductivity
High elongation at break
Chemical stability in harsh conditions

The Tortech process is utilizing inexpensive precursors, which can lead to an economical yet revolutionary final product. Tortech is at an ongoing effort towards integrating its novel material into numerous applications in various fields such as:

Lightning Strike Protection for plane
De-icing solutions for planes
Energy
Batteries
Fuel cells
Filtration
Oil & water separation
"Smart" clothing
Light heating elements: Heat sink, heating pads, etc.

In the presentation, I will describe the principles of the process, focus on some of the properties of the CNT non-woven mat, and give examples to the possible applications for Tortech`s remarkable material.