A Report On

Applications of Carbon Nanotubes

For the partial fulfillment of requirements of Introduction to Nanoscience (EA C414)

Done by Shantan Kajjam (2005B5A8518) Yaqoot (2005B3A8833) Grandhi Uttam (2005B5A4710) Dharma Teja (2005A2PS526)

Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani 15th April, 2007

Table of Contents 1. 1.1 1.2 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.2.3 2. 2.1 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4 2.1.5 2.1.6 2.2 2.2.1 2.2.2 2.2.3 2.3 2.3.1 2.3.2 2.3.3 2.3.4 2.3.5 2.4 2.4.1 2.4.2 2.4.3 2.4.4 2.4.5 2.4.6 3 4 An Overview of the Carbon Nanotubes Focus On Structure Other Types of Carbon nanotubes Multiwalled Fullerite Torus Properties & applications of Carbon Nanotubes Electrical Properties Field emission applications Carbon nanotube Transistors Supercapacitors and Actuators Carbon nanotube interconnects Molecular Electronics Present Challenges faced Mechanical applications Structural health Monitoring Sensor
High-strength / High-modulus composite materials Strain Gauge Carbon Nanotubes in medical Technology Medical Possibilities Carbon Nanotubes in X-ray Technology Sensing of Molecules or Species Natural nanotubes enable Drug Delivery Growth of Bone Tissue Other Applications Lithium Batteries Sensors and probes Conductive Plastics Ceramic Applications Fibers and Fabrics Display Applications Conclusion Bibliography

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Abstract
Carbon in its new allotropic low dimensional forms, namely one dimensional nanotubes has many fascinating physical properties having great potential in novel applications. These wide varieties of applications have been discussed in detail in this report. It also gives the present challenges faced in bringing out these products.

1. An Overview of the Carbon Nanotubes:

The most interesting nanostructures with large application potential are the carbon nanotubes. One can think of a carbon nanotube as a sheet of graphite (called graphene) rolled into a seamless tube with bonds at the end of the sheet forming the bonds that close the tube. A single walled nanotube can have a diameter of 2 nm and a length of 0.1 cm, making it effectively a one dimensional structure called a nanowire. The nature of the bonding of a nanotube is described by applied quantum chemistry, specifically, orbital hybridization. Nanotubes are composed entirely of sp2 bonds, similar to those of graphite. This bonding structure, which is stronger than the sp3 bonds found in diamond, provides the molecules with their unique strength. Nanotubes naturally align themselves into "ropes" held together by VanderWaals forces. Under high pressure, nanotubes can merge together, trading some sp2 bonds for sp3 bonds, giving great possibility for producing strong, unlimited-length wires through high-pressure nanotube linking.

1.1 Focus on structure:

A few key studies have explored the structure of carbon nanotubes using high-resolution microscopy techniques. These experiments have confirmed that nanotubes are cylindrical structures based on the hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms that forms crystalline graphite. Three types of nanotubes are possible, called armchair, zigzag and chiral nanotubes, depending on how the two-dimensional graphene sheet is "rolled up". The different types are most easily explained in terms of the unit cell of a carbon nanotube - in other words, the smallest group of atoms that defines its structure. 3

A carbon nanotube is based on a two-dimensional graphene sheet. (a) The chiral vector is defined on the hexagonal lattice as C h = n1 + m2, where 1 and 2 are unit vectors, and n and m are integers. The chiral angle, , is measured relative to the direction defined by 1. This diagram has been constructed for (n, m) = (4, 2), and the unit cell of this nanotube is bounded by OAB'B. To form the nanotube, imagine that this cell is rolled up so that O meets A and B meets B', and the two ends are capped with half of a fullerene molecule. Different types of carbon nanotubes have different values of n and m. (b) Zigzag nanotubes correspond to (n, 0) or (0, m) and have a chiral angle of 0, armchair nanotubes have (n, n) and a chiral angle of 30, while chiral nanotubes have general (n, m) values and a chiral angle of between 0 and 30. According the theory, nanotubes can either be metallic (green circles) or semi conducting (blue circles).

The properties of nanotubes are determined by their diameter and chiral angle, both of which depend on n and m. The diameter, dt, is simply the length of the chiral vector divided by , and we find that dt = (3/).ac-c. (m2 + mn + n2)1/2, where ac-c is the distance between neighboring carbon atoms in the flat sheet. In turn, the chiral angle is given by tan-1(3n/(2m + n)). Measurements of the nanotube diameter and the chiral angle have been made with scanning tunneling microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. However, it remains a major challenge to determine dt and at the same time as measuring a physical property such as resistivity. This is partly because the nanotubes are so small, and partly because the carbon atoms are in constant thermal motion. Also, the nanotubes can be damaged by the electron beam in the microscope. Since each unit cell of a nanotube contains a number of hexagons, each of which contains two carbon atoms, the unit cell of a nanotube contains many carbon atoms. If the unit cell of a nanotube is N times larger than that of a hexagon, the unit cell of the nanotube in reciprocal space is 1/N times smaller than that of a single hexagon.

1.2 Other types of Carbon Nanotubes:

Other than the single and double walled nanotubes, there are other varieties of CNTs as shown below. 1.2.1 Multi-walled: Multi-walled nanotubes (MWNT) consist of multiple layers of graphite rolled in on themselves to form a tube shape. There are two models which can be used to describe the structures of multi-walled nanotubes. In the Russian Doll model, sheets of graphite are arranged in concentric cylinders, example a (0, 8) single-walled nanotube (SWNT) within a larger (0, 10) single-walled nanotube. In the Parchment model, a single sheet of graphite is rolled in around itself, resembling a scroll of parchment or a rolled up newspaper. The interlayer distance is close to the distance between graphene layers in graphite. In the case of SWNT, covalent functionalisation will break some C=C double 5

bonds, leaving "holes" in the structure on the nanotube and thus modifying both its mechanical and electrical properties. In the case of DWNT, only the outer wall is modified. 1.2.2 Fullerite: Fullerites are the solid-state manifestation of fullerenes and related compounds and materials. Being highly incompressible nanotube forms, polymerized single-walled nanotubes (P-SWNT) are a class of fullerites and are comparable to diamond in terms of hardness. However, due to the way that nanotubes intertwine, P-SWNTs don't have the corresponding crystal lattice that makes it possible to cut diamonds neatly. This same structure results in a less brittle material, as any impact that the structure sustains is spread out throughout the material. 1.2.3 Torus: A nanotorus is a theoretically described carbon nanotube bent into a torus (donut shape). Nanotori have many unique properties, such as magnetic moments 1000 times larger than previously expected for certain specific radii. Many properties such as magnetic moment, thermal stability, etc. vary widely depending on radius of the torus and radius of the tube.

2. Applications of Carbon Nanotubes:

We shall discuss some of the very good applications of carbon nanotubes. They have been discussed in detail by dividing into four sectors. They are Electrical, Mechanical, Medical and other applications.

2.1 Electrical Applications:

The wide range of fascinating properties of carbon nanotubes provides attractive opportunities for technological applications. Some are realistic and likely to become commercial in the near future, while others are in the development stage. Carbon nanotubes have many propertiesfrom their unique dimensions to an unusual current

conduction mechanism that make them ideal components of electrical circuits. We shall see some of their applications in electronics.

2.1.1 Field Emission Applications

CNTs are the best known field emitters of any material. This is understandable, given their high electrical conductivity, and the incredible sharpness of their tip (because the smaller the tips radius of curvature, the more concentrated will be an electric field, leading to increased field emission; this is the same reason lightning rods are sharp). The sharpness of the tip also means that they emit at especially low voltage, an important fact for building low-power electrical devices that utilize this feature. CNTs can carry an astonishingly high current density, possibly as high as 1013 A/cm2. Furthermore, the current is extremely stable. An immediate application of this behavior receiving considerable interest is in field-emission flat-panel displays. Instead of a single electron gun, as in a traditional cathode ray tube display, in CNT-based displays there is a separate electron gun (or even many of them) for each individual pixel in the display. Their high current density, low turn-on and operating voltages, and steady, long-lived behavior make CNTs very attractive field emitters in this application. Other applications utilizing the field-emission characteristics of CNTs include general types of low-voltage cold-cathode lighting sources, lightning arrestors, and electron microscope sources.

2.1.2 Carbon Nanotube Transistors

Semi conducting CNTs have been used to fabricate field effect transistors (CNTFETs), which show promise due to their superior electrical characteristics over silicon based MOSFETs. Since the electron mean free path in SWCNTs can exceed 1 micrometer, long channel CNTFETs exhibit near-ballistic transport characteristics, resulting in high speed devices. In fact, CNT devices are projected to be operational in the frequency range of hundreds of GHz. Recent works of nanotube FETs have also shown that the tunneling based CNTFET offers better characteristics compared to other FET structures. This device has been found to be superior in terms of sub threshold slope - a very important property for low power applications.

2.1.3 Supercapacitors and Actuators Because of the high electrochemically accessible surface area of porous nanotube arrays, combined with their high electronic conductivity and useful mechanical properties, these materials are attractive as electrodes for devices that use electrochemical double-layer charge injection. Examples include supercapacitors, which have giant capacitances in comparison with those of ordinary dielectric-based capacitors, and electromechanical actuators that may eventually be used in robots. The carbon nanotube supercapacitors and electromechanical actuators typically consist of two electrodes separated by an electronically insulating material, which is ionically conducting in electrochemical devices. Because this separation is about a nanometer for nanotubes, as compared with the micrometer or larger separations in ordinary dielectric capacitors, very large capacitances result from the high nanotube surface area accessible to the electrolyte. These capacitances result in large amounts of charge injection when only a few volts are applied. The charge injection can be used for energy storage in nanotube supercapacitors and to provide electrode expansions and contractions that can do mechanical work in electromechanical actuators. An extraordinarily short discharge time of 7 ms was reported for 10 MWNT capacitors connected in series, which operated at up to 10 V. Nanotube electromechanical actuators function at a few volts, compared with the ~100 V used for piezoelectric stacks and the 1000 V used for electrostrictive actuators.

2.1.4 Carbon Nanotube Interconnects:

The impressive conductivity of carbon nanotubes makes them promising materials for a wide variety of electronic applications, but techniques to attach individual nanotubes to metal contacts have proven challenging. The new approach allows the precise attachment of carbon nanotubes to individual metal pins, offering a practical solution to the problem of using carbon nanotubes as interconnects and devices in computer chips. Carbon nanotubes display amazing mechanical strength, and they are excellent conductors of electricity, with the capacity to produce interconnects that are many times

faster than current interconnects based on copper. Gold nano wires also have very interesting optical and electrical properties, and they are compatible with biological applications, the most exciting aspect is that it allows you to manipulate and control the junctions between nanotubes and nano wires over several hundred microns of length. 2.1.5 Molecular Electronics The idea of building electronic circuits out of the essential building blocks of materials molecules - has seen a revival the past five years, and is a key component of nanotechnology. In any electronic circuit, but particularly as dimensions shrink to the nanoscale, the interconnections between switches and other active devices become increasingly important. Their geometry, electrical conductivity, and ability to be precisely derived, make carbon nanotubes the ideal candidates for the connections in molecular electronics. In addition, they have been demonstrated as switches themselves.

2.1.6 Present Challenges Faced:

Although carbon nanotube devices have been separately shown to be promising in their own respects, there have been few efforts to successfully combine them in a realistic circuit. Most CNT FET structures employ the silicon substrate as a back gate. Applying different back gate voltages might become a concern when designing large circuits out of these devices. Several top-gated structures have also been demonstrated, which can alleviate this concern. Additionally, there are still several process related challenges that need to be addressed before CNT-based devices can enter mainstream VLSI process. This makes it an exciting and open field for research. Problems like purification, separation of carbon nanotubes, control over nanotube length, chirality and desired alignment, low thermal budget as well as high contact resistance are yet to be fully resolved. Since lack of control on chirality produces a mix of metallic as well as semi-conducting tubes from any fabrication process and it is difficult to control the growth direction of the tubes, random arrays of SWCNTs (that are easily produced) have been proposed to build

thin film transistors. This idea can be further exploited to build practical CNT based transistors and circuits without the need for precise growth and assembly.

2.2 Mechanical Applications:

Single walled nanotubes have are stiffer than steel and are resistant to damage from physical forces. The Young's modulus of SWNTs lies close to 1 TPa. The maximum tensile strength is close to 30 GPa. The diameter and shape of the nanotube was the determining factor for it is elastic modulus but some argued it is due to disorder in the walls of nanotubes.

2.2.1 Structural health monitoring sensor:

New trend for a structural material is to serve for functions other than structural and there comes the nanotubes importance and applications where material will be multi functional thus lowering the cost one of such is sensing of damage, which is valuable for prevention of hazards A carbon nanotube polymer material was used to form a piezo-resistive strain sensor for structural health monitoring applications. The polymer improves the interfacial bonding between the nanotubes. Previous single walled carbon nanotube bucky paper sensors produced distorted strain measurements because the van der Waals attraction force allowed axial slipping of the smooth surfaces of the nanotubes. The polymer sensor uses larger multi-walled carbon nanotubes which improve the strain transfer, repeatability and linearity of the sensor. The neuron is a long continuous strain sensor that has a low cost, is simple to install and is lightweight. The neuron has a low bandwidth and adequate strain sensitivity. The neuron sensor is particularly useful for detecting large strains and cracking, and can reduce the number of channels of data acquisition needed for the health monitoring of large structures.

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2.2.2 High-strength / High-modulus composite materials

With a tensile strength of 60 Gpa and an elastic modulus of 1250 Gpa carbon nanotubes can be considered as ultimate reinforcement fiber thus improving the mechanical properties of materials into which these are incorporated and increasing the use of these light weight materials in aerospace etc. Carbon nanotubes can greatly improve the properties of structural composites. CNT stress transfer efficiency is estimated to be at least an order of magnitude larger than in conventional fiber-based composites. This is expected to result in composites with higher specific strength, stiffness and/or toughness depending on the application. The corresponding weight reduction will benefit all military and commercial aerospace vehicles. CNTs can also reinforce composites with metal and ceramic matrices.

2.2.3 Strain gauge

In a certain small strain range, small band gap semi conducting (or quasi-metallic) nanotubes exhibit the largest resistance changes or highest sensitivity to tensile stretching (GF up to 6001000), while metallic nanotubes are the least sensitive, in qualitative agreement with existing theoretical expectations. The result suggests that, at room temperature, quasi-metallic SWNTs are potentially useful for highly sensitive eletromechanical sensors and could present a new type of strain gauge material.

2.3 Carbon Nanotubes in Medical Technology

One of the more important classes of material to emerge from the recent developments in nanotechnology has been the carbon nanotube. A variety of nanoscale carbon tube structures have been prepared and this article discusses their structure, properties and potential medical applications

2.3.1 Medical possibilities

Normally when nanotubes are fabricated, ones of different electronic types randomly clump together, compromising conductivity. The group, led by researchers from

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DuPonts (Wilmington, DE) Central Research & Development found that a particular sequence of the DNA assembled into a helical structure around individual carbon nanotubes. The hybrids can be sorted using anion-exchange chromatography because they have different electrostatic properties depending on the diameter and electronic properties of the nanotubes. What this means is that metallic carbon nanotubes can be separated from semiconducting carbon nanotubes, and the latter can be sorted by diameter. Now that the different kinds of nanotubes can be isolated, it may become easier to use them in developing medical applications. Cell tracking, cell labeling, sensing cellular behavior, drug and bimolecular delivery, and enhancement of tissue regeneration For example, a number of procedures in cell therapy and tissue engineering suffer from a difficulty of monitoring the progress of tissue regeneration or cell performance, and noninvasive methods to do this would be extremely helpful. Observations on the movement of cells could be conducted using optical imaging in the infrared or nearinfrared region by following the movement of injected agents that are targeted to these cells. Carbon nanotubes provide many characteristics that are suitable for detection in these regions. A number of scattering and spectroscopic techniques have confirmed that these nanotubes can be followed once they have been targeted to a cell. Carbon itself gives poor contrast in magnetic resonance imaging, but it can be chemically functionalized to make it more readily detectable. Indeed, it appears that gadolinium attached to the surface could provide for considerably better contrast than any currently used substance. With respect to cell and tissue behavior, the potential exists to use the unique electronic properties of carbon nanotubes in electrochemical sensors, possibly giving real-time data of parameters with good spatial resolution. Multi-walled nanotubes have already been shown to be able to monitor insulin levels with the possibility of evaluating pancreatic islet cells before implantation into a diabetic patient. The high surface area to volume ratio of the carbon nanotubes and the ease with which they may be chemically functionalized suggest potential applications in targeted drug

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delivery and gene transfection(The introduction of foreign DNA into a host cell). One particularly useful aspect is the difference in chemical reactivity of the surface of the walls of the nanotubes and of their ends, because different molecules may be attached to each part. The ends of the tubes could be functionalized with an antibody to target the nanotube to a particular receptor on a cell. The sidewalls could be functionalized with a drug attached via a biodegradable linker. Similarly, carbon nanotubes have been reacted with deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid, again with cleavable linking molecules being delivered to target cells for their gene transfection.

2.3.2 Carbon Nanotubes in X-ray technology

. Scientists at the Carolina Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence have developed a new method to create computed tomography (CT) images using carbon nanotube x-rays. This new method, which works much faster than traditional scanners and uses less peak power, represents a step toward developing scanners for medical imaging and homeland security that are smaller, faster, and less expensive to operate. Otto Zhou, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, leads the team developing carbon nanotube x-ray sources for use in cancer imaging applications, among others. Carbon nanotubes are able to produce x-rays without the use of the high temperatures used with conventional x-ray sources.

2.3.3 Sensing of molecules or species

The major application of carbon nanotubes is in medical field for sensing the molecules or species. There have been studies on the electrochemical reactivity of carbon nanotubes and it has been demonstrated that carbon nanotubes can enhance the biomolecules and promote the electron transfer in proteins. It has been found that carbon nanotubes promote electron transfer in haeme containing proteins. In haeme containing proteins carbon nanotubes are able to access the haeme centre of biomolecules that is generally not sensed by the glass electrodes. The advantage of carbon nanotube sensor over conventional glass electrode is the ability of carbon nanotube sensors to lower the over potential of electrode under certain 13

circumstances. These carbon nanotubes are becoming the ideal material in many applications and these carbon nanotubes have been used in a range of molecules to sense and monitor the health issues.

2.3.4 Natural Nanotubes Enable Drug Delivery

Nanotubes found in

Collaboration between Nanolution, the drug-delivery division of Biophan Technologies and NaturalNano Inc. has produced a drugdelivery technology derived from nanotubes found in halloysite clay.

halloysite clay may have biomedical applications.

Typically used in the manufacture of porcelain and fine china, halloysite is a clay mineral composed of aluminum, silicon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Unlike carbon nanotubes, their lab-created nanoscale counterpart, halloysite nanotubes develop naturally in the clay due to the surface weathering of aluminosilicate minerals. The tubes feature diameters ranging from 40 to 200 nm and lengths from 500 nm to more than 1.2 m. Halloysite nanotubes are considered favorable materials for biomedical applications because of their geometry. Suited for storing and delivering various materials, their shape is also conducive to controlled release. The materials science firm further emphasizes the versatility of the natural nanotubes; they can be coated with metallic and other substances to broaden physical, chemical, and electrical properties. NaturalNanos halloysite-derived nanotubes have unique properties that make them extremely promising for development in biomedical applications, says John Lanzafame, president of Nanolution. We believe this partnership with NaturalNano will lead to a new class of long-lasting controlled-release agents for drugs and other materials, [with applications] in medical device coatings and for pharmaceutical compounds. Despite the abundance of available nanotubes in halloysite, mining and separation of the materials is far from facile. Because of this obstacle, NaturalNano is developing a patented process for the mining, extraction, and separation of nanotubes from halloysite clay. The firm plans to apply the natural nanotubes to additives in polymers and plastics, electronic components, and absorbent materials. 14

2.3.5 Growth of bone tissue

Scientists have shown for the first time that carbon nanotubes make an ideal scaffold for the growth of bone tissue. The new technique could change the way doctors treat broken bones, allowing them to simply inject a solution of nanotubes into a fracture to promote healing. The success of a bone graft depends on the ability of the scaffold to assist the natural healing process. Artificial bone scaffolds have been made from a wide variety of materials, such as polymers or peptide fibers, but they have a number of drawbacks, including low strength and the potential for rejection in the body. Compared with these scaffolds, the high mechanical strength, excellent flexibility and low density of carbon nanotubes make them ideal for the production of lightweight, highstrength materials such as bone. Single-walled carbon nanotubes are a naturally occurring form of carbon, like graphite or diamond, where the atoms are arranged like a rolled-up tube of chicken wire. They are among the strongest known materials in the world. Bone tissue is a natural composite of collagen fibers and hydroxyapatite crystals. Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that nanotubes can mimic the role of collagen as the scaffold for growth of hydroxyapatite in bone. The researchers expect that nanotubes will improve the strength and flexibility of artificial bone materials, leading to a new type of bone graft for fractures that may also be important in the treatment of bone-thinning diseases such as osteoporosis. In a typical bone graft, bone or synthetic material is shaped by the surgeon to fit the affected area. Pins or screws then hold the healthy bone to the implanted material. Grafts provide a framework for bones to regenerate and heal, allowing bone cells to weave into the porous structure of the implant, which supports the new tissue as it grows to connect fractured bone segments.

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The new technique may someday give doctors the ability to inject a solution of nanotubes into a bone fracture, and then wait for the new tissue to grow and heal.

2.4 Other Applications:

Some other applications other than the fields mentioned above are given below. 2.4.1 Lithium Batteries: The charge and discharge phenomenon in these batteries is based upon the Li + intercalation and de-intercalation. The use of nanotubes as electrodes in lithium batteries is a possibility because of the high reversible component of storage capacity at high discharge rates. The maximum reported reversible capacity is 1000 mA h g1 for SWNTs that are mechanically milled in order to enable the filling of nanotube cores, as compared to 372 mA h g1 for graphite and 708 mA h g1 for ball-milled graphite.

2.4.2 Sensors and probes:

Chemical sensor applications of nonmetallic nanotubes are interesting, because nanotube electronic transport and thermopower are sensitive to substances that affect the amount of injected charge. Pure carbon SWNTs and MWNTs can be used to detect toxic gases and other species, because small concentrations can produce large changes in the nanotube conductance, shifting the Fermi level to the valence band, and generating holeenhanced conductance. Carbon nanotubes are used as electron conductors in enzyme-based electrochemical sensors. Surface functionalization of nanotubes renders them more biocompatible. Amperometric biosensors are based on the ability of an enzyme ad layer to transduce the turnover of substrate into a detectable, reliably quantifiable current. Since metalloproteins in solution can communicate electrochemically with oxidized SWNTs at an electrode surface and bioimmobilization at high loading occurs with retention of activity, metalloproteins immobilized on a nanotube surface can, seemingly, communicate directly with the nanotube pi system.

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2.4.3 Conductive Plastics

Much of the history of plastics over the last half-century has involved their use as a replacement for metals. For structural applications, plastics have made tremendous headway, but not where electrical conductivity is required, because plastics are very good electrical insulators. This deficiency is overcomed by loading plastics up with conductive fillers, such as carbon black and larger graphite fibers. The loading required to provide the necessary conductivity using conventional fillers is typically high, however, resulting in heavy parts, and more importantly, plastic parts whose structural properties are highly degraded. It is well-established that the higher the aspect ratio of filler particles, the lower the loading required needed to achieve a given level of conductivity. CNTs are ideal in this sense, since they have the highest aspect ratio of any carbon fiber. In addition, their natural tendency to form ropes provides inherently very long conductive pathways even at ultra-low loadings. Applications that exploit this behavior of CNTs include EMI/RFI shielding composites; coatings for enclosures, gaskets, and other uses; electrostatic dissipation (ESD); and antistatic materials and (even transparent!) conductive coatings; and radar-absorbing materials for low-observable (stealth) applications.

2.4.4 Ceramic Applications:

A ceramic material reinforced with carbon nanotubes has been made by materials scientists. The new material is far tougher than conventional ceramics, conducts electricity and can both conduct heat and act as a thermal barrier, depending on the orientation of the nanotubes. Ceramic materials are very hard and resistant to heat and chemical attack, making them useful for applications such as coating turbine blades, but they are also very brittle. The researchers mixed powdered alumina (aluminum oxide) with 5 to 10 percent carbon nanotubes and a further 5 percent finely milled niobium. The researchers treated the mixture with an electrical pulse in a process called spark-plasma sintering. This process

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consolidates ceramic powders more quickly and at lower temperatures than conventional processes. The new material has up to five times the fracture toughness -- resistance to cracking under stress -- of conventional alumina. It also has interesting thermal properties, conducting heat in one direction, along the alignment of the nanotubes, but reflecting heat at right angles to the nanotubes, making it an attractive material for thermal barrier coatings.

2.4.5 Fibers and Fabrics:

Fibers spun of pure CNTs have recently been demonstrated [R.H. Baughman, Science 290, 1310 (2000)] and are undergoing rapid development, along with CNT composite fibers. Such super strong fibers will have many applications including body and vehicle armor, transmission line cables, woven fabrics and textiles. CNTs are also being used to make textiles stain resistant. Nano Brushes with CNT (carbonnanotube) bristles grafted on fiber handles have been created. The brushes clean nanoparticles from narrow spaces, act as movable electromechanical brush contacts and switches, and perform other tasks. The bristles can also be chemically functionalized for selective removal of heavy metal ions. The brushs handle consists of a SiC fiber (16-m dia) and its bristles are aligned MWNTs (multiwalled carbon nanotubes) grafted on the fibers ends. The tubes (30nm dia) are grown by selective CVD with ferrocene and xylene as the precursors. Various styles of brushes are obtained by designing an Au(gold) mask area on SiC fibers and varying growth conditions. Brushes with multiple bristles regularly distributed along the handle are fabricated by patterning a Au mask along the fiber.

2.4.6 Display Applications:

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Flexible, transparent circuits can be formed from CNT (carbon nanotube) dispersions that are combined with polymeric binders using atmospheric wet coating and printing techniques. The coatings can be produced at lower cost and exhibit greater flexural endurance and abrasion resistance than ITO (indium tin oxide).Transparent conductors are a key component in many optoelectronic devices with transparent conducting oxides like ITO being the preferred choice. And, polymers like PEDOT (poly3,4ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with PSS (polystyrenesulfonate) have found application in some niche markets. However, ITO has limitations: inherent brittleness; high cost associated with vacuum sputtering deposition and patterning by photolithographic etching; and a 10% recent cost increase for indium due to high demand and a dwindling supply.

Fig.A (above) shows a plot of optical transmittance(%T) vs sheet resistance (ohm/sq) for CNT coatings. Optical measurements were made at =550 nm and sheet resistance measurements with correction factors for geometry. The optical transparency of >95%T can be achieved for sheet resistance values > 1,000 ohm/sq. This high-transmission 19

region of performance in the 103-105 ohm/sq range is important for applications like touch screens and reflective displays and is not possible using ITO or PEDOT/PSS coatings. Fig.B shows visible light transmittance of ITO, PEDOT, and CNT filmstransmittance values refer to the transparent conductor layer (substrate contribution removed).The curves for the CNT coatings in the visible light spectrum are flatter than ITO, which shows stronger absorbance at the shorter wavelengths (characteristic yellow color). These CNT films have a neutral color, an advantage for display applications.

3. Conclusion:
The wide range of fascinating properties of carbon nanotubes provides attractive opportunities for technological applications. From the above report, we see that the carbon nanotubes has a great prospect in the near future which opens up research for all kinds of people. Their astonishing properties will make them a very useful entity in all the daily activities of a human being.

4. Bibliography:
1. S. Iijima, Helical Microtubules of Graphite Carbon, Nature, 354, 568, (1991). 2. M. Endo et al, Applications of Carbon Nanotubes in the Twenty-First Century, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, A, 362, 22232228, (2004). 3. B. Harrison and A. Atala, Carbon Nanotube Applications for Tissue Engineering, Biomaterials, 28, 344353 (2007). 4. D.F. Williams, The Risks of Nanotechnology, Medical Device Technology, 16,9, 6 10 (2005). 5.R& D Digest. 2006 Medical Product Manufacturing News Applied Physics Letters journal.

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1.Medical Science News 2.Journal Chemistry of Metals, American Chemical Society, June 14 issue.

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