What are Carbon Nanotubes ?

Carbon nano tubes are fullerene-related structures which consist of graphene cylinders closed at either end with caps containing pentagonal rings

What are Carbon Nanotubes ?

Carbon nanotubes are fullerene-related structures which consist of graphene cylinders closed at either end with caps containing pentagonal rings

Discovery
They were discovered in 1991 by the Japanese electron microscopist Sumio Iijima who was studying the material deposited on the cathode during the arc-evaporation synthesis of fullerenes. He found that the central core of the cathodic deposit contained a variety of closed graphitic structures including nanoparticles and nanotubes, of a type which had never previously been observed

Carbon Nanotubes:
This is a nanoscopic structure made of carbon atoms in the shape of a hollow cylinder. The cylinders are typically closed at their ends by semi-fullerene-like structures. There are three types of carbon nanotubes: armchair, zig-zag and Chiral (helical) nanotubes. These differ in their symmetry. Namely, the carbon nanotubes can be thought of as graphene planes 'rolled up' in a cylinder (the closing ends of carbon nanotubes cannot be obtained in this way). Depending on how the graphene plane is 'cut' before rolled up, the three types of carbon nanotubes are obtained. Within a particular type, carbon nanotubes with many different radii can be found (depending on how large is the graphene area that is folded onto a cylinder). These tubes can be extremely long (several hundreds of nanometers and more). Some consider them as special cases of fullerenes. When produced in materials, carbon nanotubes pack either in bundles (one next to another within a triangular lattice) - single-walled carbon nanotubes, or one of smaller radius inside others of larger radii - multiwalled carbon nanotubes.. Carbon nanotubes were discovered by Sumio Ijima in 1991.

The way to find out how the carbon atoms are arranged in a molecule can be done by joining the vector coordinates of the atoms. By this way it can be identified whether if the carbon atoms are arranged in a zig-zag, armchair or in a helical shape.

 Nanotubes are formed by rolling up a graphene sheet into a cylinder and capping each end with half of a fullerene molecule. Shown here is a (5, 5) armchair nanotube (top), a (9, 0) zigzag nanotube (middle) and a (10, 5) chiral nanotube. The diameter of the nanotubes depends on the values of n and m.

Discovery
They were discovered in 1991 by the Japanese electron microscopist Sumio Iijima who was studying the material deposited on the cathode during the arc-evaporation synthesis of fullerenes. He found that the central core of the cathodic deposit contained a variety of closed graphitic structures including nanoparticles and nanotubes, of a type which had never previously been observed

Synthesis
Arc discharge method
Connect two graphite rods to a power supply, place them millimeters apart, and throw switch. At 100 amps, carbon vaporizes in a hot plasma.

Chemical vapor deposition

Place substrate in oven, heat to 600 C, and slowly add a carbon-bearing gas such as methane. As gas decomposes it frees up carbon atoms, which recombine in the form of NTs

Laser ablation (vaporization)

Blast graphite with intense laser pulses; use the laser pulses rather than electricity to generate carbon gas from which the NTs form; try various conditions until hit on one that produces prodigious amounts of SWNTs Primarily SWNTs, with a large diameter range that can be controlled by varying the reaction temperature By far the most costly, because requires expensive lasers

Can produce SWNT and MWNTs with few structural defects

Easiest to scale to industrial production; long length

Tubes tend to be short with random sizes and directions

NTs are usually MWNTs and often riddled with defects

Uses of Carbon NanoTubes

carbon nanotubes, which exhibit electrical conductivity as high as copper, thermal conductivity as high as diamond, and as much as 100 times the strength of steel at one-sixth the weight. In order to capitalize on these properties, researchers and engineers need a set of tools -- in this case, chemical processes like pyrolytic fluorination -- that will allow them to cut, sort, dissolve and otherwise manipulate nanotubes. Molecular and Nanotube Memories Nanotubes hold promise for non-volatile memory; with a commercial prototype nanotube-based RAM predicted in 1-2 years, and terabit capacity memories ultimately possible. Similar promises have been made of molecular memory from several companies, with one projecting a low-cost memory based on molecule-sized cylinders by end 2004 that will have capacities appropriate for the flash memory market. These approaches offer non-volatile memory and if the predicted capacities of up to 1Tb can be achieved at appropriate cost then hard drives may no longer be necessary in PCs.

Some applications of Carbon Nanotubes include the following

Micro-electronics / Semiconductors Conducting Composites Controlled Drug Delivery/release Artificial muscles Supercapacitors Nanotube actuator Molecular Quantum wires Hydrogen Storage Noble radioactive gas storage Solar storage Waste recycling Electromagnetic shielding Dialysis Filters Thermal protection Nanotube reinforced composites Reinforcement of armour and other materials Reinforcement of polymer Avionics Collision-protection materials Fly wheels"

Batteries Field emission flat panel displays Field Effect transistors and Single electron transistors

Nano lithography

Future Uses of CNTs

Nano-Electronics
Nanotubes can be conducting or insulating depending on their properties
Diameter, length, chirality/twist, and number of walls

Joining multiple nanotubes together to make nanoscale diodes Max Current Density: 10^13 A/cm^2

The Space Elevator

The Idea
To create a tether from earth to some object in a geosynchronous orbit. Objects can then crawl up the tether into space. Saves time and money

The Problem
62,000-miles (100,000kilometers) 20+ tons

The Space Elevator

The Solution: Carbon Nanotubes
10x the tensile strengh (30GPa)
1 atm = 101.325kPA 10-30% fracture strain

Further Obstacles
Production of Nanofibers
Record length 4cm

Investment Capital: $10 billion