Carbon Nanotube Heating Pad with Flexible Substrate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heating pads with electric resistance wires have low tensile strength and bending resistance, leading to potential electric shocks and a short lifespan.
Innovation Solution
A heating pad design incorporating a flexible substrate with a carbon nanotube layer, where the carbon nanotubes are aligned and connected by van der Waals attractive forces, providing high tensile strength and bending resistance, and are electrically connected using electrodes with low contact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional electric resistance wires are used as heating elements, then the heating pad can be manufactured with simple structure and low cost, but the tensile strength and bending resistance are low leading to short lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses carbon nanotubes as the heating element material, which is a composite material structure consisting of carbon atoms arranged in cylindrical nanoscale tubes. These carbon nanotubes exhibit both high tensile strength and high bending resistance while maintaining heating functionality, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and lifespan.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from conventional metal wires to carbon nanotubes, which have fundamentally different mechanical and electrical properties. This parameter change enables the heating element to simultaneously achieve high strength, high bending resistance, and long lifespan without the trade-offs present in conventional materials.
2Strength
If carbon nanotube layer is used as heating element, then high tensile strength and bending resistance are achieved, but the contact resistance with electrodes may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible substrate as the base for the carbon nanotube heating element. This thin film structure allows the carbon nanotubes to be distributed uniformly across the substrate surface, providing both mechanical flexibility and good electrical contact with the electrodes, thereby maintaining reliability while achieving high strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible substrate acts as an intermediary between the carbon nanotubes and the electrodes. It facilitates reliable electrical connection by providing a stable platform that ensures good contact between the carbon nanotube heating element and the electrode terminals, resolving the potential contact resistance issue.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The carbon nanotube layer enhances the heating pad's mechanical strength and flexibility, allowing for rapid and stable temperature increase with low power consumption, while minimizing the risk of electric shocks.
Implementation Method 1
An electric resistance wire is commonly used as a heating element... The heating element (11) includes a flexible substrate (110), an adhesive layer (111) disposed on the flexible substrate (110), and a carbon nanotube layer (112) stuck on the flexible substrate (110) by the adhesive layer (111)
Implementation Method 2
the carbon nanotubes are aligned and connected by van der Waals attractive forces, providing high tensile strength and bending resistance
Data Source
AI summary
A heating pad includes a heating element, a number of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes. The heating element includes a flexible substrate and a carbon nanotube layer fixed on the flexible substrate. The heating element has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end. The first end is cut into a number of first strip structures. The second end is cut into a number of second strip structures. Each of the first electrodes clamps one of the first strip structures and is electrically connected with the first strip structure. Each of the second electrodes clamps one of the second strip structures and is electrically connected with the second strip structure.