New carbon nanotube threads beat metal in industrial heating

Researchers at Rice University have developed carbon nanotube fiber (CNTF) heaters that outperform traditional metal alloy heating elements in industrial gas heating applications. Industrial heating, essential for chemical production and manufacturing, typically relies on fossil fuels, and electrification efforts have faced challenges due to the harsh conditions inside industrial systems. CNTF heaters, which resemble thin threads rather than metal coils, demonstrated significantly higher heating power per unit mass when exposed to flowing gases, especially in nonoxidizing environments where carbon materials tolerate higher temperatures without degradation. The study highlights that CNTFs combine suitable electrical resistivity for Joule heating with exceptional strength and relatively high thermal conductivity, enabling new heater geometries and fabrication methods impractical for metal wires. Unlike conventional thin metal heaters that are difficult to manufacture and handle at small diameters, CNTFs are lightweight, flexible, and strong, allowing for designs such as single filaments, parallel arrays, and textile-like fabrics. These configurations showed superior specific power loading—how much power a heater can sustain before