A new method of chaining carbon nanofibers in epoxy

In this paper, a new and innovative process for assembling chains of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) in epoxy, uniquely different from those generally used for chaining particles in a liquid medium, is presented. Chains of aligned CNFs are assembled in a region rich in CNFs and extended into regions where there are no CNFs. A physical explanation of the process is provided based on the conductive nature of the CNFs. By contacting the chains with the electrodes, the process of chain growth is expedited and well-ordered parallel chains with equal spacing are grown over distances of 2 cm.