Carbon Nanotube Dispersion Without Damage: How SMIDA Mixes CNT Agglomerates Apart and Keeps Tube Length Intact
A carbon nanotube dispersion mixer that separates agglomerates without chopping the tubes — preserving the conductive network your battery or coating depends on.
SMIDA planetary centrifugal mixer disperses carbon nanotubes: agglomerates break apart, tube length stays intact, with vacuum degassing from 1 g to 100 kg+.
Carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersion is the process of breaking tangled CNT agglomerates apart and spreading the tubes evenly without damaging them.
CNTs carry current up to a thousand times higher than copper at one-sixth to one-half of conventional additive loading, making them the top choice for lithium batteries, conductive coatings, and shielding.
But high aspect ratio and surface energy make CNTs tangle: dispersing them needs shear to break agglomerates, yet not so much that the tubes are cut and the conductive network fails.
How Do You Judge a Good CNT Dispersion?
Check three things under the microscope:
- Agglomerates gone.
No visible clumps or bundles remain. - Tube length preserved.
Over-shearing shortens tubes and degrades conductivity, so length retention is the decisive metric. - Dispersion stable.
No re-agglomeration or settling after standing.
Why Planetary Centrifugal Mixing Fits CNT
A planetary centrifugal mixer applies overall compression plus uniform shear: revolution pulls agglomerates apart in three dimensions while rotation shears the batch evenly.
With no blades, there is no local over-shear, so tube length damage stays controllable compared with sand or ball milling.
Add optional vacuum degassing, and bubbles trapped during dispersion are removed in the same step.
Process Advice for CNT Users
Start at low concentration and low speed to find your dispersion window, then raise speed gradually to balance breakup against length retention.
After dispersing, measure tube length distribution and stability, and lock them into your standard.
Then scale up on machines that share the same mixing principle.
Why SMIDA
- Independent speed control from 200 to 2000 rpm, so you tune the shear field;
- Vacuum and temperature options — TTC models hold -15 °C to 25 °C;
- One platform from 1 g to 100 kg+, with equipment from 150 g to 100 kg+;
- Factory direct: 17+ years, CE, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified, trusted by 2,000+ customers in 40+ countries.
Quick Answers
Will a planetary centrifugal mixer cut my CNT tubes?
No — mixing is blade-free and shear is uniform, so agglomerates break apart while tube length is preserved.
What CNT systems can SMIDA mix?
CNT slurries for lithium batteries, conductive pastes, and shielding materials — from 1 g to 100 kg+.
Can I test before buying?
Yes.
Send a sample to the SMIDA lab for a free mixing test and judge the result with microscope data.
Want proof on your own material?
Send a CNT sample to the SMIDA lab for a free mixing test — you will get before-and-after microscope data on agglomerate breakup and tube length.
