University of California

Xingxu Yan

Marc Madou

Jufeng Deng

Alexander Hwu

Systems and methods are provided for fabricating carbon nanostructures by low voltage near-field electromechanical spinning (LV-NFEMS). Processes described herein can produce ˜2-5 nm carbon nanowires with ultrahigh electrical conductivity using top-down and controlled reductive techniques from a polymer. Configurations are also provided to allow for deposition control and fiber elongation/alignment. One embodiment uses a low voltage near-field electromechanical spinning process to produce a polymer fiber from a polymer solution. Another embodiment of the method uses pyrolysis to convert the produced polymer fiber into a ˜2-5 nm carbon nanowire. System configurations provide advancements in polymer droplet control and control of a sustained jet of polymer solution with the use low voltages. Systems and processes described herein can include use of an array of polymer precursor nanofibers suspended onto a silicon substrate and converted to carbon nanowires. In another embodiment, ultra-thin carbon fibers can be integrated onto a carbon electrode scaffold.

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Irvine, CA, United States of America

Xingxu Yan