ELECTRIC OR DATA TRANSMISSION CABLES HAVING HIGH ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY AND/OR HIGH DATA TRANSMISSION SPEED

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to cables and a method for their production. In particular, it relates to a process for the production of a cable useful for conveying the current for both the transport of electricity and the transmission of signals and/or data and to a cable that comprises at least one core of metallic material and/or non-metallic material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In WO2014/141071 a method is described for the preparation of coated metal foams (by an electrodeposition process) with a metal matrix and graphene.

[0003] In CN202384469U a radiofrequency cable is described, characterized in that the inner conductor is composed of an aluminium core and externally a copper layer is deposited on the peripheral area of the aluminium core, therefore only copper is deposited on the outer layer (not with the electrodeposition method).

[0004] In WO2015/041439 a coaxial cable is described which has a metal wire as its core, in which said metal wire is coated:

• by a first layer of "composite plating" having a mixture of a homogeneous or heterogeneous metal and a first graphene; and subsequently
• by a second layer of graphene deposited on the surface of the "composite plating" layer.

[0005] US2016/228964 claims an electrode for electrical discharge machines, comprising a core, preferably made of copper, brass, molybdenum, tungsten or steel, and a coating, wherein the coating contains graphene.

[0006] CN103943226 reports a wire and cable with a nickel-graphene composite phase sheath, comprising a conductive core and a sheath wrapped around the conductive core, wherein such sheath is a nickel-graphene composite layer.

[0007] In the field, the need is felt to have economic cables available that are less likely to be stolen, and which exhibit better functional characteristics than the cables known in the art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It has now been surprisingly found that cheap cables, better for energy and/or signal transport, when compared to those known in the art, are obtainable through the use of the process according to the present invention.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention relates to a process for the production of a cable useful for conveying the current for both the transport of electricity and the transmission of signals and/or data, comprising subjecting a metallic or non-metallic wire of such cable to the following steps:

STEP 1)
on the wire a first metallic layer is deposited using the physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) procedure;

STEP 2)
on the wire of STEP 1) a second metal and graphene layer is deposited, using an electrodeposition procedure;

STEP 3)

on the wire of STEP 2) a third metal layer is deposited using the physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or electrodeposition procedure;

with the proviso that, when a copper wire or a wire in a metal more conductive than copper is used, STEP 1) is optional.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the invention:

• the metallic material of the wire is selected from the group comprising: copper, aluminium, silver, nickel, gold and alloys or foams thereof;
• the non-metallic material of the wire is selected from the group comprising: polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polylactic acid, polytetrafluoroethylene and mixtures thereof;
• the metallic material of the first second and third step is selected from the group comprising: copper, aluminium, silver, nickel, gold and alloys thereof;
• the metal of the first layer or step may be the same or different from the metal of the second layer, which in turn may be the same or different from the metal of the third layer.

[0011] According to a further embodiment the process for the production of a cable useful for conveying the current for both the transport of electricity and the transmission of signals and/or data, comprises subjecting a non-metallic wire of such cable to the following steps:

STEP 1)
on the wire a first metallic layer is deposited using the physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) procedure;

STEP 2)
on the wire of STEP 1) a second metal and graphene layer is deposited, using an electrodeposition procedure; wherein a non-metallic wire metallized with copper or with a metal more conductive than copper is used in the first step.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is a cable useful for conveying the current for both electricity transport and signal and/or data transmission, that comprises at least one core of metallic material and/or non-metallic material, wherein said core:

• is coated with a first metal layer deposited using the PVD or CVD technique;
• is further coated with a second layer of metal and graphene using an electrodeposition technique;
• is further coated with a third metal layer deposited using the physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or electrodeposition technique;

with the proviso that, when a copper wire or a wire in a metal more conductive than copper is used, the first layer is optional.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the invention:

• the metallic material of the core is selected from the group comprising: copper, aluminium, silver, nickel, gold and alloys or foams thereof;
• the non-metallic material of the core is selected from the group comprising: polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyamide (PA), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and mixtures thereof;
• the metallic material of the first second and third layer is selected from the group comprising: copper, aluminium, silver, nickel, gold and alloys thereof;
• the metal of the first layer may be the same or different from the metal of the second layer, which in turn may be the same or different from the metal of the third layer.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the invention, the cable has:

• a reduced skin effect;
• a greater capacity and/or speed of electricity conduction;
• a greater capacity and/or signal conduction speed;
• a higher frequency band; when compared to copper cables known in the art.

[0015] According to a further embodiment, the cable is coated with one or more layers of polymeric and/or insulating material.

[0016] Such cables have low production costs, and, when polymers or particular metal foams are used "poor/cheap in the building material" or metals having a value lower than copper, for example aluminium, they are less or not at all likely to be stolen. In Italy, for example, the thieves of electric copper cables cause (direct and indirect) damages for millions of euros per year.

[0017] According to the present invention, by "cable" it is here intended to refer to the set including conductors, insulators, sheaths and protective or shielding reinforcements, specifically built to convey the current for both electricity transport and signal transmission

[0018] According to the present invention, by "cables useful for conveying the current for both electricity transport and signal and/or data transmission" it is here meant to refer to "electric" cables that are useful for the electricity supply lines to towns, cables useful for electrical systems of industries and/or civilian homes, cables for transmission of data, (for example from and to a computer), mixed cables, for example useful for signals and data transport, such as those used for modern cameras, in which the same LAN cable is useful for both power supply and data transmission (text, images and/or voices ) from the camera to the receiver.

[0019] According to the present invention the term "core" it is here meant to include a wire, conductor wire, a metal wire, a non-metallic wire, a wire in "metallic foam" (a non-limiting example of metal foams is reported in WO2014/141071), a braided (as with the house copper wires) or not braided wire, a single or multiple wire, in a central or lateral position, a wire coated or not coated with isolating materials known in the art, a wire of any shape or size, for civil, industrial or domestic purposes and/or uses.

[0020] The "skin effect" is the tendency for alternating current (AC) to flow mostly near the outer surface of an electrical conductor, such as metal wire. This effect becomes more and more apparent as the frequency increases.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the invention the CVD - Chemical Vapor Deposition is carried out as described in Adv. Mater. 2000, 12, No. 9 and the electrodeposition technique is carried out as described in WO2014/141071

[0022] According to an embodiment of the invention, it is possible to adjust the amount of metal to deposit on the wire by adjusting the winding speed of the wire; the method used is well known in the art and described in http://www.mag-data.com/dettagli-tecnici/introduzione-ai-film-polimerici/ Journal of Materials Chemistry C Volume 4 Number 37, 7 October 2016, Pages 8585-8830; and/or Adv. Mater. 2000, 12, No. 9.

[0023] According to the present invention the cable:

can have a section of any geometric shape;

can consist of strands of wires;

can consist of coaxial conducting wires;

can be hollow (internally empty) or not hollow;

can have a section comprised between 0.1 mm to 40 mm².

[0024] According to the present invention, the thickness of the metal layer deposited by vapor or of the layer of metal and graphene range from 0.01 mm to 2 mm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

EXAMPLE 1

Process for the preparation of a cable useful for conveying the current for both transporting electricity and transmitting signals, in which a PVC wire is used as starting material.

STEP 1)

[0025] 

• the PVC wire is subjected to a vapour deposition procedure (CVD or PVD) of a first metallic layer in aluminium, copper or silver. Through the CVD/PVD procedure a layer of aluminium, copper or silver, is deposited on the surface of the non-metallic wire that flows from the unwinding coil to the winding coil (it is possible to adjust the amount of copper to deposit on the wire by adjusting the winding speed of the wire itself, as described in http://www.mag-data.com/dettagli-tecnici/introduzione-ai-film-polimerici/; Journal of Materials Chemistry C Volume 4 Number 37, 7 October 2016, Pages 8585-8830; and/orAdv. Mater. 2000, 12, No. 9), thus obtaining a metallized PVC wire.

STEP 2)

[0026] The metallized wire obtained at the end of the first step is subjected to a further electrodeposition process of a second layer of "copper (but not exclusively) and graphene" (as described in WO2014/141071; as an alternative to copper, silver or another metal can be used indistinctly).

STEP 3)

[0027] The wire obtained at the end of the second step is subjected to a vapor deposition process (CVD or PVD) as described in the first step.

[0028] The wire thus obtained showed an improvement of 50-100% compared to traditional electric wires (in silver, copper or aluminium) not treated with the process according to the invention in the speed of data transmission, measured in bps (bit per second).

EXAMPLE 2

Process for the preparation of a cable useful for conveying the current for both transporting electricity and transmitting signals in which a metallic foam wire is used as starting material.

STEP 1)

[0029] 

• the metallic foam wire is subjected to a vapor deposition procedure (CVD or PVD) of a first copper or silver metallic layer. Through the CVD/PVD procedure a layer of copper or silver, is deposited on the surface of the flowing wire (it is possible to adjust the amount of copper to deposit on the wire by adjusting the winding speed of the wire itself, as described in http://www.mag-data.com/dettagli-tecnici/introduzione-ai-film-polimerici/; Journal of Materials Chemistry C Volume 4 Number 37, 7 October 2016, Pages 8585-8830; and/or Adv. Mater. 2000, 12, No. 9) thus obtaining a wire in metal foam coated with a metal layer.

STEP 2)

[0030] The metallized wire obtained at the end of the first step is subjected to a further electrodeposition process of a second layer of "copper (but not exclusively) and graphene" (as described in WO2014141071; as an alternative to copper, silver or other metal can be used indistinctly).

STEP 3)

[0031] The wire obtained at the end of the second step is subjected to a vapour deposition process (CVD or PVD) as described in the first step.

[0032] The wire thus obtained showed an improvement of 50-100% compared to traditional electric wires (in silver, copper or aluminium) not activated by the process according to the invention in the speed of data transmission, measured in bps (bit per second).

Claims

1. Process for the production of a cable useful for conveying the current for both the transport of electricity and the transmission of signals and/or data, comprising subjecting a metallic or non-metallic wire of such cable to the following steps:

STEP 1)
on the wire a first metallic layer is deposited using the physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) procedure;

STEP 2)
on the wire of STEP 1) a second metal and graphene layer is deposited, using an electrodeposition procedure;

STEP 3)
on the wire of STEP 2) a third metal layer is deposited using the physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or electrodeposition procedure;

with the proviso that, when a copper wire or a wire in a metal more conductive than copper is used, STEP 1) is optional.

2. Process of claim 1 wherein:

- the metallic material of the wire is selected from the group comprising: copper, aluminium, silver, nickel, gold and alloys or foams thereof;

- the non-metallic material of the wire is selected from the group comprising: polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polylactic acid, polytetrafluoroethylene and mixtures thereof;

- the metallic material of the first second and third step is selected from the group comprising: copper, aluminium, silver, nickel, gold and alloys thereof;

- the metal of the first layer or step may be the same or different from the metal of the second layer, which in turn may be the same or different from the metal of the third layer.

3. Process for the production of a cable useful for conveying the current for both the transport of electricity and the transmission of signals and/or data, comprising subjecting a non-metallic wire of such cable to the following steps:

STEP 1)
on the wire a first metallic layer is deposited using the physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) procedure;

STEP 2)
on the wire of STEP 1) a second metal and graphene layer is deposited, using an electrodeposition procedure;, wherein a non-metallic wire metallized with copper or with a metal more conductive than copper is used in the first step.

4. Cable useful for conveying the current for both electricity transport and signal and/or data transmission, characterized in that it comprises at least one core of metallic material and/or non-metallic material, wherein said core:

- is coated with a first metal layer deposited using the PVD or CVD technique;

- is further coated with a second layer of metal and graphene using an electrodeposition technique;

- is further coated with a third metal layer deposited using the physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or electrodeposition technique;

with the proviso that, when a copper wire or a wire in a metal more conductive than copper is used, the first layer is optional.

5. Cable of claim 4, wherein:

- the metallic material of the core is selected from the group comprising: copper, aluminium, silver, nickel, gold and alloys or foams thereof;

- the non-metallic material of the core is selected from the group comprising: polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polylactic acid, polytetrafluoroethylene and mixtures thereof;

- the metallic material of the first second and third layer is selected from the group comprising: copper, aluminium, silver, nickel, gold and alloys thereof;

- the metal of the first layer may be the same or different from the metal of the second layer, which in turn may be the same or different from the metal of the third layer.

6. Cable of claim 4, characterized in that:

- it has a reduced skin effect;

- it has a greater capacity and/or speed of electricity conduction;

- has a greater capacity and/or signal conduction speed;

- has a higher frequency band;

when compared to copper cables known in the art.

7. Cable of claim 4, coated with one or more layers of polymeric and/or insulating material.

Ansprüche

1. Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Kabels zum Führen des Stroms sowohl für den Transport von Elektrizität als auch für die Übertragung von Signalen und/oder Daten, wobei das Verfahren das Unterziehen eines metallischen oder nichtmetallischen Drahtes an einem solchen Kabel den folgenden Schritten umfasst:

SCHRITT 1)
eine erste Metallschicht wird unter Verwendung des Verfahrens der physikalischen Dampfabscheidung (PVD) oder der chemischen Dampfabscheidung (CVD) auf dem Draht abgeschieden;

SCHRITT 2)
eine zweite Schicht aus Metall und Graphen wird unter Verwendung eines Elektroabscheidungsprozesses auf dem Draht aus SCHRITT 1) abgeschieden;

SCHRITT 3)
eine dritte metallische Schicht wird unter Verwendung des Verfahrens der physikalischen Dampfabscheidung (PVD), der chemischen Dampfabscheidung (CVD) oder des Elektroabscheidungsprozesses auf dem Draht aus SCHRITT 2) abgeschieden;

unter Bedingung, dass bei Verwendung eines Kupferdrahts oder eines Drahts aus einem leitfähigeren Metall als Kupfer SCHRITT 1) optional ist.

2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei:

- das metallische Material des Drahts aus der Gruppe: Kupfer, Aluminium, Silber, Nickel, Gold und deren Legierungen oder Schäume ausgewählt ist;

- das nichtmetallische Material des Drahts aus der Gruppe: Polycarbonat, Polyethylen, Polyethylenterephthalat, Polymethylmethacrylat, Polypropylen, Polystyrol, Polyvinylchlorid, Polyamid, Acrylnitril-Butadien-Styrol, Polymilchsäure, Polytetrafluorethylen und deren Mischungen ausgewählt ist;

- das metallische Material des ersten, zweiten und dritten Schritts aus der Gruppe: Kupfer, Aluminium, Silber, Nickel, Gold und deren Legierungen ausgewählt ist;

- das Metall der ersten Schicht oder des ersten Schritts gleich oder verschieden von dem Metall der zweiten Schicht sein kann, das wiederum gleich oder verschieden von dem Metall der dritten Schicht sein kann.

3. Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Kabels zum Führen des Stroms sowohl für den Transport von Elektrizität als auch für die Übertragung von Signalen und/oder Daten, wobei das Verfahren das Unterziehen eines metallischen oder nichtmetallischen Drahtes an einem solchen Kabel den folgenden Schritten umfasst:

SCHRITT 1)
eine erste Metallschicht wird unter Verwendung des Verfahrens der physikalischen Dampfabscheidung (PVD) oder der chemischen Dampfabscheidung (CVD) auf dem Draht abgeschieden;

SCHRITT 2)
eine zweite Schicht aus Metall und Graphen wird unter Verwendung eines Elektroplattierungsverfahrens auf dem Draht aus SCHRITT 1) abgeschieden, wobei im ersten Schritt ein nichtmetallischer mit Kupfer oder mit einem leitfähigeren Metall als Kupfer metallisierter Draht verwendet wird.

4. Kabel zum Führen des Stroms sowohl für den Transport von Elektrizität als auch für die Übertragung von Signalen und/oder Daten, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass es mindestens einen Kern aus metallischem Material und/oder aus nichtmetallischem Material umfasst, wobei der Kern:

- mit einer ersten Metallschicht unter Verwendung der PVD- oder CVD-Technik bedeckt wird;

- ebenfalls mit einer zweiten Schicht aus Metall und Graphen unter Verwendung einer Elektroabscheidungstechnik bedeckt wird;

- außerdem mit einer dritten Metallschicht unter Verwendung der Technik der physikalischen Dampfabscheidung (PVD), der chemischen Dampfabscheidung (CVD) oder der Elektroabscheidung bedeckt wird;

unter Bedingung, dass bei Verwendung eines Kupferdrahts oder eines Drahts aus einem leitfähigeren Metall als Kupfer der erste Schritt optional ist.

5. Kabel nach Anspruch 4, wobei:

- das metallische Material des Kerns aus der Gruppe: Kupfer, Aluminium, Silber, Nickel, Gold und deren Legierungen oder Schäume ausgewählt ist;

- das nichtmetallische Material des Kerns aus der Gruppe: Polycarbonat, Polyethylen, Polyethylenterephthalat, Polymethylmethacrylat, Polypropylen, Polystyrol, Polyvinylchlorid, Polyamid, Acrylnitril-Butadien-Styrol, Polymilchsäure, Polytetrafluorethylen und deren Mischungen ausgewählt ist;

- das metallische Material der ersten, zweiten und dritten Schichten aus der Gruppe: Kupfer, Aluminium, Silber, Nickel, Gold und deren Legierungen ausgewählt ist;

- das Metall der ersten Schicht gleich oder verschieden von dem Metall der zweiten Schicht sein kann, das wiederum gleich oder verschieden von dem Metall der dritten Schicht sein kann.

6. Kabel nach Anspruch 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass:

- es einen abgeschwächten Skin-Effekt aufweist;

- es eine größere Kapazität und/oder Elektrizitätsleitungsgeschwindigkeit der aufweist;

- es eine größere Kapazität und/oder Signalleitungsgeschwindigkeit aufweist;

- es hat ein höheres Frequenzband;

im Vergleich zu im Stand der Technik bekannten Kupferkabeln.

7. Kabel nach Anspruch 4, welches mit einer oder mehreren Schichten aus Polymer und/oder Isoliermaterial bedeckt ist.

Revendications

1. Procédé de réalisation d'un câble destiné à acheminer lu courant tant pour le transport de l'électricité que pour la transmission de signaux et/ou de données, ledit procédé comprenant l'opération visant à soumettre un fil métallique ou non métallique d'un tel câble aux étapes suivantes :

ÉTAPE 1)
une première couche métallique est déposée sur le fil selon le procédé de dépôt physique en phase vapeur (PVD) ou dépôt chimique en phase vapeur (CVD) ;

ÉTAPE 2)
une deuxième couche de métal et de graphène est déposée sur le fil de l'ÉTAPE 1) selon un procédé d'électrodéposition ;

ÉTAPE 3)
une troisième couche métallique est déposée sur le fil de l'ÉTAPE 2) selon le procédé de dépôt physique en phase vapeur (PVD), de dépôt chimique en phase vapeur (CVD) ou d'électrodéposition ;

à condition que, lorsqu'un fil de cuivre ou un fil en un métal plus conducteur que le cuivre est utilisé, l'ÉTAPE 1) est facultative.

2. Procédé selon la revendication 1 :

- le matériau métallique du fil est choisi dans le groupe comprenant : le cuivre, l'aluminium, l'argent, le nickel, l'or et les alliages ou mousses de ceux-ci ;

- le matériau non métallique du fil est choisi dans le groupe comprenant : le polycarbonate, le polyéthylène, le téréphtalate de polyéthylène, le polyméthacrylate de méthyle, le polypropylène, le polystyrène, le chlorure de polyvinyle, le polyamide, l'acrylonitrile-butadiène-styrène, l'acide polylactique, le polytétrafluoroéthylène et les mélanges de ceux-ci ;

- le matériau métallique des première, deuxième et troisième étapes est choisi dans le groupe comprenant : le cuivre, l'aluminium, l'argent, le nickel, l'or et les alliages de ceux-ci ;

- le métal de la première couche ou étape peut être identique ou différent du métal de la deuxième couche, qui à son tour peut être identique ou différent du métal de la troisième couche.

3. Procédé de réalisation d'un câble destiné à acheminer le courant tant pour le transport de l'électricité que pour la transmission de signaux et/ou de données, ledit procédé comprenant l'opération visant à soumettre un fil non métallique d'un tel câble aux étapes suivantes :

ÉTAPE 1)
une première couche métallique est déposée sur le fil selon le procédé de dépôt physique en phase vapeur (PVD) ou dépôt chimique en phase vapeur (CVD) ;

ÉTAPE 2)
une deuxième couche de métal et de graphène est déposée sur le fil de l'ÉTAPE 1) selon un procédé d'électrodéposition ;, dans lequel un fil non métallique métallisé avec du cuivre ou avec un métal plus conducteur que le cuivre est utilisé dans la première étape.

4. Câble destiné à véhiculer le courant tant pour le transport d'électricité que pour la transmission de signaux et/ou de données, caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend au moins une âme en matériau métallique et/ou en matériau non métallique, ladite âme :

- étant recouverte d'une première couche métallique déposée selon la technique PVD ou CVD ;

- étant en outre recouverte d'une deuxième couche de métal et de graphène selon une technique d'électrodéposition ;

- étant en outre recouverte d'une troisième couche métallique déposée selon la technique de dépôt physique en phase vapeur (PVD), dépôt chimique en phase vapeur (CVD) ou d'électrodéposition ;

à condition que, lorsqu'un fil de cuivre ou un fil en un métal plus conducteur que le cuivre est utilisé, la première couche est facultative.

5. Câble selon la revendication 4 :

- le matériau métallique de l'âme est choisi dans le groupe comprenant : le cuivre, l'aluminium, l'argent, le nickel, l'or et les alliages ou mousses de ceux-ci ;

- le matériau non métallique de l'âme est choisi dans le groupe comprenant : le polycarbonate, le polyéthylène, le téréphtalate polyéthylène, le polyméthacrylate de méthyle, le polypropylène, le polystyrène, le chlorure de polyvinyle, le polyamide, l'acrylonitrile-butadiène-styrène, l'acide polylactique, le polytétrafluoroéthylène et les mélanges de ceux-ci ;

- le matériau métallique des première, deuxième et troisième couches est choisi dans le groupe comprenant : le cuivre, l'aluminium, l'argent, le nickel, l'or et les alliages de ceux-ci ;

- le métal de la première couche peut être identique ou différent du métal de la deuxième couche, qui à son tour peut être identique ou différent du métal de la troisième couche.

6. Câble selon la revendication 4, caractérisé en ce que :

- il a un effet de peau atténué ;

- il a une plus grande capacité et/ou vitesse de conduction électrique ;

- il a une plus grande capacité et/ou vitesse de conduction de signal ;

- ila une bande de fréquence plus élevée ;

par rapport aux câbles en cuivre connus dans la technique.

7. Câble selon la revendication 4, recouvert d'une ou de plusieurs couches de matériau polymère et/ou isolant.