Carbon Nanotubes
Carbon Nanotubes
CARBON NANOTUBES
• Discovered in 1991 by Sumiyo Iijima, a Japanese
scientist working at the NEC Corporation.
• Is a tubular form of carbon with a diameter as small as
0.4 nm and length from a few nanometers up to a
millimeter.
• Length-to-diameter ratio of a carbon nanotube can be
as large as 28,000,000:1, which is unequalled by any
other material.
• Carbon exists in several forms; graphite and
diamond are the most familiar.
• A CNT is characterized by its Chiral Vector: C h = n â1 +
m â 2,
Formation of CNT
• Process which is used to form these Nanotubes,
is called Chemical Vapor Deposition.
• Can be made in a standard chemistry laboratory.
• A quartz tube about 1 inch in diameter serves as
the growth reactor and is inserted inside a tube
furnace.
Zigzag (n,0)
Types of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Armchair (n,n)
Chiral (n,m)
Armchair (n,m) = (5,5)
= 30
c) Chemical Vapor
Deposition:
Hydrocarbon + Fe/Co/Ni catalyst
550-750°C
CNT
Steps:
• Dissociation of hydrocarbon.
• Dissolution and saturation
of C atoms in metal
nanoparticle.
• Precipitation of Carbon.
Energy storage
4. Lithium batteries
5. Hydrogen storage
Biological
6. Bio-sensors
7. Functional AFM tips
8. DNA sequencing
Challenges & Future..
Future applications:
• Already in product: CNT tipped AFM
• Big hit: CNT field effect transistors based nano
electronics.
• Futuristic: CNT based OLED, artificial
muscles…
Challenges:
• Manufacture: Important parameters are hard
to control.
• Large quantity fabrication process still missing.
• Manipulation of nanotubes.
Conclusion
• Their phenomenal mechanical properties, and
unique electronic properties make them both
interesting as well as potentially useful in future
technologies.
• Significant improvement over current state of
electronics can be achieved if controllable
growth is achieved.
• Growth conditions play a significant role in
deciding the electronic and mechanical
properties of CNTs.
• Growth Mechanisms yet to be fully established.
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