2. Presentation Overview
• What is it?
• Applications
• Characteristics
• Nano vs. Macro
• Concerns
• Conclusions
• References
3. What is it?
• Carbon nanotubes are
allotropes of carbon
• A single wall carbon nanotube
is a one-atom thick sheet of
graphite rolled up into a
seamless cylinder with
diameter of the order of a
nanometer
• Discovered in 1991 by S.
Iijima
4. Applications
• Clothes: waterproof tear-resistant
cloth fibers
• Combat jackets: carbon nanotubes
as ultra strong fibers and to
monitor the condition of the wearer
• Concrete: CNTs increase the
tensile strength
• Polyethylene: CNTs increase the
polymer's elastic modulus by 30%
• Sports equipment: stronger and
lighter BST6 - 2007 Easton Stealth CNT
• Ultrahigh-speed flywheels: the Regular Flex
high strength/weight ratio enables
very high speeds to be achieved
5. Applications
• Space elevator: this will be
possible only if tensile
strengths of more than about
70 GPa can be achieved.
Monoatomic oxygen in the
Earth's upper atmosphere
would erode carbon nanotubes
at some altitudes, so a space
elevator constructed of
nanotubes would need to be
protected (by some kind of
coating). Carbon nanotubes in
other applications would
generally not need such
surface protection.
6. Applications
• Chemical nanowires: can also be
used to produce nanowires of other
chemicals, such as gold or zinc
oxide
• Computer circuits: there is a
possibility to build electronic
computer circuits entirely out of
nanotubes
• Conductive films: CNTs are ideal
for high reliability touch screens and
flexible displays
• Light bulb filament: alternative to
MC and BC series supercapacitors (up to
tungsten filaments in incandescent 3000 farad capacitance) produced by
lamps Maxwell Technologies
• Magnets: MWNTs coated with
magnetite
• Ultra capacitors: increase in energy
storage ability
7. Applications
• Electric motor brushes: nanotube composite motor
brushes are better-lubricated, cooler-running, less brittle,
stronger and more accurately moldable.
• Optical ignition: a layer of 29% iron enriched SWNT is
placed on top of a layer of explosive material and can be
ignited with a regular camera flash.
• Superconductor: nanotubes have been shown to be
superconducting at low temperatures
• Displays: high-brightness low-energy low-weight displays
can be made
8. Applications
• Air pollution filter: future applications of nanotube
membranes include filtering carbon dioxide from power
plant emissions
• Biotech container: nanotubes can be opened and filled with
materials such as biological molecules, raising the
possibility of applications in biotechnology.
• Hydrogen storage: there is potential to contain the same
quantity of energy as a 50l gasoline tank in 13.2l of
nanotubes.
• Water filter: the tubes are so thin that small particles (like
water molecules) can pass through them, while larger
particles (such as the chloride ions in salt) are blocked.
9. Applications
• Oscillator: fastest known oscillators (>
50 GHz)
• Liquid flow array: liquid flows up to
five orders of magnitude faster than
predicted through array
• Slick surface: slicker than Teflon and
waterproof
• Transistor: “Carbon nanotube transistors
have the potential to outperform state-of-
the-art silicon devices,” said Dr. T.C. A close-up view of the 5-stage CMOS type
Chen, vice president, Science & nanotube ring oscillator. The upper right
Technology, IBM Research. “However, inset shows the nanotube itself with a
scientists have focused so far on diameter of ~2nm.
fabricating and optimizing individual
carbon nanotube transistors. Now, we can
evaluate the potential of carbon nanotube
electronics in complete circuits -- a
critical step toward the integration of the
technology with existing chip-making
techniques.”
10. Characteristics
• Extraordinary strenght:
200 times stronger than
steel
• Unique electrical
properties: mettalic
nanotubes can have an
electrical current density
more than 1,000 times
greater than metals such
as silver an copper.
• They are efficient
conductors of heat
• Very light
11. Nano vs. Macro
• Carbon nanotubes are CNT density 1.3-1.4 g/cm³
much stronger and lighter
than the carbon
(allotropes) and can Diamond 3.513 g/cm³
conduct electricity and density
heat.
• The reason for this is the CNT Thermal
symmtrical shape and Conductivity 6000 W/m/K
strong bonds between the
carbons Graphite (119-
Thermal 165) W/m/K
Conductivity
12. Concerns
• Carbon nanotubes injected directly into bloodstream of research lab
animals cause no immediate adverse health effects and circulate for
more than one hour before they are removed by the liver. More
studies are being made about its toxicity.
• People are confused about it. They don’t know if it is fact or fiction.
This confusion makes them fear this new discipline.
• Single-walled nanotubes are still very expensive to produce, around
1500 $ per gram
13. Conclusion
• This is the future of the world. It may provide new solutions
for the millions of people in developing countries who lack
access to basic services, such as safe water, reliable energy,
health care, and education.
• Everthing will become stronger, smaller and lighter.
The joining of two carbon nanotubes with different
electrical properties to form a diode has been proposed.
14. •
References
Who should be given the credit for the discovery of carbon nanotubes? CARBON 44 (2006)
1621 (ELSEVIER) Retrieved May 17, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org
• Philip G. Collins and Phaedon Avouris (2000), Nanotubes for Electronics - Scientific
American December 2000, page 67 Retrieved May 17, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org
• Super-tough carbon-nanotube fibers Alan B. Dalton et al. Nature 423, 703 (12 June 2003)
Retrieved May 17, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org
• Azad Naeemi and James D. Meindl (2007,). "Carbon nanotube interconnects". ISPD '07:
Proceedings of the 2007 international symposium on Physical design,: 77--84,, {Austin,
Texas, USA},: ACM Press, New York, NY, USA. Retrieved May 17, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org
• S. Sen, I.K. Puri, Nanotechnology 15, 264-268 (2004). Retrieved May 17, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org
• The Space Elevator, by Brad C. Edwards, NASA Retrieved May 17, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org
• Dekker, Postma et al (2001), Carbon Nanotube Single-Electron Transistors at Room
Temperature - Science 293.5527 (July 6, 2001) Retrieved May 17, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org
• Avouris, Arnold, Collins Engineering Carbon Nanotubes and Nanotube Circuits Using
Electrical Breakdown - Science 292.5517 (April 27, 2001):706-9 Retrieved May 17, 2007,
from http://en.wikipedia.org
• Kalaugher Scalable Interconnection and Integration of Nanowire Devices Without
Registration Nano Letters 4.5 (2004):915-19 Retrieved May 17, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org
• Tesng et alMonolithic Integration of Carbon Nanotube Devices with Silicon MOS
Technology Nano Letters 4.1 (2004):123-127 Retrieved May 17, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org
15. References
• Kalaugher Scalable Interconnection and Integration of Nanowire Devices Without
Registration Nano Letters 4.5 (2004):915-19 Retrieved May 17, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org
• Tesng et alMonolithic Integration of Carbon Nanotube Devices with Silicon MOS
Technology Nano Letters 4.1 (2004):123-127 Retrieved May 17, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org
• Nanotubes Tracked In Blood And Liver: Study Finds No Adverse Effects Retrieved
May 17, 2007, from http://scienceandreason.blogspot.com/2006/12/do-carbon-nanotubes-
present-health.html
• Health, safety, environmental and social issues Retrieved May 17, 2007, from
http://www.nanotec.org.uk/workshopOct03health.htm
