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Alberto Guerrero

Course Number: ENGR 1050-401

Carbon nanotube

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are carbon molecule with a cylindrical shape. The structure

and chemical bonds of CNTs result in unique strength, electrical, and thermal properties.

Nanotubes are often but not necessarily, composed of carbon, and having remarkable strength

and electrical properties. Carbon is a chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. It is

nonmetallic and tetravalent. Know to be fifteenth must abundant element on earth and the fourth

on space. Carbon is unique among the elements in its ability to form strongly bonded chains,

sealed off by hydrogen atoms.

Throughout the years scientist have studied the fiscal properties of carbon. The atoms of

carbon can bond together in different ways, one of his allotropes are diamond, graphite,

graphene, amorphous and fullerene. All this material came from the same element; however,

they have different physical and chemical properties. These materials have great conductivity

and strength. Fullerenes are similar in structure to graphite, which is composed of

stacked graphene sheets of linked hexagonal rings.

A fullerene is a molecule of carbon in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, tube, and

many other shapes. “Fullerene later named buckminsterfullerene’s in reference to the geodesic

domes of the American architect Richard Buckminster Fuller, were predicted in 1970 by a

Japanese chemist, Eiji Osawa” (3), Buckminsterfullerene is a spherical fullerene molecule with

the formula C60.


History

Fullerene or C60 discovered naturally in space It was first generated in 1985 by Harold

Kroto, James R. Heath, Sean O'Brien, Robert Curl, and Richard Smalley at Rice

University. Kroto, Curl and Smalley were awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their

roles in the discovery of buckminsterfullerene and the related class of molecules. Carbon

nanotubes are members of the fullerene family.

The discovery of carbon nanotubes published in 1991 has grab the attention of scientist

from all over the world because of his unusual and great properties. “The researchers across the

world have been trying their level best to exploit the electrical, mechanical, thermal, magnetic

and biocompatible properties of carbon nanotubes” (VII). Carbon nanotubes have many

structures, differing in length, thickness, and number of layers, it will depend on how the

graphene sheet has rolled up to form the tube.

With a diameter of 1 nm, carbon nanotubes basically are allotropes of carbon consisting

of graphene sheets rolled into a cylinder and can be produced in various ways “The most

common techniques are: arc discharge, laser ablation, chemical vapor deposition and flame

synthesis. Purification of the carbon nanotubes can be divided into techniques such as:

oxidation, acid treatment, annealing, sonication, filtering and functionalization” (VIII). One of

the process to make CNT is a slightly modified version of the method used for fullerene

production, an arc discharge between graphite electrodes, allowing a nanotube deposit to

accumulate on the cathode. There are many different types of carbon nanotubes, but they are

normally categorized as either single-walled (SWNT) or multi-walled nanotubes (MWNT).


Single-walled nanotubes

Single-walled nanotubes (SWNT) usually have the diameter of approximately 1

nanometer. The way the graphene sheet is wrapped is represented by a pair of indices (n,m). The

integers n and m denote the number of unit vectors along two directions in the honeycomb lattice

of graphene. If m = 0, the nanotubes are called zigzag nanotubes, and if n = m, the nanotubes are

called armchair nanotubes. Otherwise, they are called chiral. A single-walled carbon nanotube is

just like a regular straw. It has only one layer, or wall.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are a collection of nested tubes of continuously increasing

diameters. They can range from one outer and one inner tube (a double-walled nanotube) to as

many as 100 tubes (walls) or more. Each tube is held at a certain distance from either of its

neighboring tubes by interatomic forces.

Electrical: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are highly conductive when properly

integrated into a composite structure. One must note that the outer wall alone is conducting, the

inner walls are not instrumental to conductivity.

Physical: Defect–free, individual, MWNTs have an excellent tensile strength and when

integrated into a composite, such as a thermoplastic or thermoset compound, can significantly

increase its strength.

Chemical: MWNTs are an allotrope of sp2 hybridized carbon similar to graphite and

fullerenes and as such have high chemical stability. However, one can functionalize the

nanotubes to enhance both the strength and dispersibility of composites.


Carbon nanotubes properties

Kinetic Properties: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are multiple concentric nanotubes

precisely nested within one another. MWNTs exhibits a striking telescoping property whereby an

inner nanotube core may slide. This used to be almost without friction, within its outer nanotube

shell, thus creating an atomically perfect linear or rotational bearing. Already, this property has

been utilized to create the world's smallest rotational motor. Future applications such as a

gigahertz mechanical oscillator are also envisaged.

Wave Absorption: This is most recent researched properties of Multi-walled carbon

nanotubes are wave absorption characteristics, specifically microwave absorption. Interest in this

research is due to the current military push for radar absorbing materials (RAM) to better the

stealth characteristics of aircraft and other military vehicles. There has been little research on

filling MWNTs with metals, such as Fe, Ni, Co, etc., to increase the absorption effectiveness of

MWNTs in the microwave regime. So far, this research has shown improvements in both

maximum absorption and bandwidth of adequate absorption (5).

The challenges in commercializing MWNTs include the following: dispersion, these have

better dispensability into solutions or polymers than SWNTs; howevery, the quality of the

dispersion obtained is a critical factor in the performance of the final product, purity many

MWNTs processes cause considerable residual metallic catalyst which can be detrimental to

performance, and defects, the number of defects is dependent on the number of layers within

MWNTs. The high aspect ratio of MWNTs contributes much of the value of their use.

Competitive materials show defects and impurities. Tubes may fracture during dispersion at

defect sites, bringing down the number of electrical pathways and the resulting conductivity.
News India has published an article saying “Carbon nanotubes are single atomic sheets

of carbon rolled up into a tube. As some of the best electrical conductors ever

discovered, carbon nanotubes have long been recognized as a promising material for next-

generation transistors” (new material). Even thou it was discovery more than two decades ago

new studies and technology are allowing sciences to go faster on this discovering.

The discovery of carbon nanotube will change the way of many materials, for now it has

been tests in very few areas, since is still a new discovery in modern science, his application on

today’s technology are still developing. It has been a great new for the creation of new strong

and conductive material that could replace or regular conductive material that have been use un

the las decades.


Works Cited

Nierengarten, Jean-Francois and Fernando Langa. Fullerenes : Principles and

Applications. vol. 2nd ed. edited by Fernando Langa de la Puente and Jean-Francois.

Nierengarten, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2011. RSC Nanoscience & Nanotechnology.

Mishra, Ajay Kumar. Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis and Properties. Nova Science Publishers,

Inc, 2013. Nanotechnology Science and Technology.

AZoNano. “Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT): Production, Analysis and

Application” May 24 2013, https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=3469

Nanoscience. “CNT Technology Overview”

http://www.nanoscience.com/applications/education/overview/cnt-technology-overview/

News India - Times; New York, N.Y. New Material Promises Higher-performance

Electronics Anonymous. [New York, N.Y]23 Jan 2015: 10.

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