Carbon nanotubes are hollow cylindrical tubes that are 10,000 times smaller than human hair but stronger than steel. They are good conductors of electricity and heat and have a very large surface area. There are two main types: single-walled nanotubes and multi-walled nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes have many potential applications, including using filters made of carbon nanotubes to remove pollutants from water more effectively than charcoal filters. Another potential application is using carbon nanotube-based aerogels that are as strong as steel but can also stretch in response to an electric current. However, challenges remain in controlling the size and structure of carbon nanotubes during growth and in manipulating

1. Carbon
Nanotubes

2. • sp2 hybridization: planar
Graphite (Ambient conditions)
• sp3 hybridization: cubic
Diamond (High temperature
and pressure)
• sp2 + sp3 character: cylindrical
Nanotube/Fullerene (certain
growth conditions)
Carbon

3. Carbon nanotubes are a form of carbon,
similar to graphite found in pencils.
They are hollow cylindrical tubes and
are 10,000 times smaller than human
hair, but stronger than steel. They are
also good conductors of electricity and
heat, and have a very large surface area.
Because of these properties they can sell
for up to £680 for just 1g!
What Are Carbon Nanotubes?
Sumio Iijima

5. Classified mainly in two types:
1. Single walled nanotubes (SWNT)
2. Multi walled nanotubes (MWNT)
Other related structures:
 Torus
 Nanobud
 Peapod
 Cup-stacked carbon nanotubes
Classification Of Cabon Nanotubes

6. Different
Types Of
CNTs
Nanobud
Peapo
d Cup-stacked carbon nanotubes
Torus

7.  CNTs have High Electrical Conductivity
 Metallic and Semiconducting
 CNTs have Very High Tensile Strength
 CNT are Highly Flexible- can be bent considerably without damage
 CNTs are Very Elastic ~18% elongation to failure
 CNTs have High Thermal Conductivity
Properties Of Nanotubes

8. Application Of Carbon Nanotubes

9. In the group that received the highest dose of nanotubes followed by
a 30second laser treatment, the tumors shrank and completely
disappeared in 80 percent of the mice.
The procedure didn't appear to damage the animals’ internal organs,
and left only a slight burn on the skin.
Tumor Blitz
In a recent study, researchers
injected carbon nanotubes into
kidney tumors in mice, and then
directed a near infrared laser at
the tumors.

10. Reseachers at MIT have developed a sensor using carbon
nanotubes embedded in a gel; that can be injected under the skin to
monitor the level of nitric oxide in the bloodstream. The level of
nitric oxide is important because it indicates inflammation, allowing
easy monitoring of inflammatory diseases. In tests with laboratory
mice the sensor remained functional for over a year.
Researchers have demonstrated artificial muscles composed of
yarn woven with carbon nanotubes and filled with wax. Tests have
shown that the artificial muscles can lift weights that are 200 times
heavier than natural muscles of the same size.

11. The researchers from University of Texas
made an aerogel (a low density solid) out
of nanotubes, and found that in was
 As strong as steel.
 Applying voltage to the material
made it stretchier than rubber.
Research from University of Texas
Space Elevator, Going Up

12. 12
Nanotube ropes can act as cables for a space elevator, which could
lift astronauts, cargo, or even tourists into orbit. The 62,000
milelong cables would have to be strong and flexible so they
wouldn't break when buffeted by atmospheric
storms and space debris,
but light enough so they
wouldn't collapse under
their own weight.

13. Carbon Nanotubes For Cleaning Polluted Water
Scientists found that by using filters made of carbon
nanotubes, pollutants could be removed more effectively
from contaminated water as compared to common charcoal
filters.
Recently published in
The journal environmental science and technology

14. Carbon nanotubes can be used as the pores in membranes to run
reverse osmosis desalination plants. Water molecules pass through the
smoother walls of carbon nanotubes more easily than through other
types of nanopores, which requires less power. Other researchers are
using carbon nanotubes to develope small, inexpensive water
purification devices needed in developing countries.

15. The Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT)
have announced a new solar thermal fuel that could store up to 10,000
times more energy than previous systems.
Boosting solar energy storage
The fuel consists of carbon
nanotubes modified with azobenzene,
a mix that is expected to provide the
same energy storage per volume as
lithium-ion batteries and can
store solar energy almost indefinitely.
Research at the Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT)

16. It can also be recharged by
simply exposing it to sunlight
– no electricity required.
 The fuel has been studied using computational chemistry but
not yet fully tested in the lab, so commercialization is still far off.
 Another limitation is that to produce electricity would require
another conversion step, using thermoelectric devices or
producing steam to run a generator.

17. Helping the Hydrogen Car
 Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells have been
held back largely by the expense of making fuel
cells. But Later researchers found that bundles
of carbon nanotubes doped with nitrogen form
a more efficient and more compact catalyst.
Hydrogen is a green energy fuel which could
replace unsustainable and polluting fossil fuels.
This is because when it burns it gives off no carbon
dioxide. Many of the car companies are developing
cars that run on hydrogen fuel.

18. While carbon nanotubes are
currently fairly expensive to
produce, researchers note that
the price has been plummeting.
Limitations On Efficient Hydrogen Adsorption
The biggest obstacle to efficient hydrogen storage
using CNTs is the purity of the nanotubes.
To achieve maximum hydrogen adsorption, there must
be minimum graphene, amorphous carbon, and metallic
deposits in the nanotube sample.
Charging your electric car within seconds using devices made of carbon nanotubes!!!!

19. Flexible, Bendable Electronics
Researchers at the University of Tokyo took a step in that
direction in May when they constructed a display made of organic
light emitting diodes (OLEDs) paired with a rubbery, nanotube
based conductor.

20. The organic compounds in an OLED system emit light when
an electric current is passed through them, and they need no
backlight, making them thinner than traditional displays. As
nanotubes are natural semiconductors, they channel the
electricity to the organic compounds.

21. Several research groups have found ways to "unzip" carbon
nanotubes to produce atom thick ribbons of graphene.
 Like silicon, graphene is a semiconductor, but the nanosized
ribbons could be used to pack much more processing power on
every computer chip.
Researchers have made graphene ribbons before, but never as
easily—previously the ribbons were cut from
larger graphene sheets, which offered little
control over their size and shape. In contrast,
unzipping nanotubes is a precise process.
The Smallest Chips in the Land

22. Researchers at Stanford University have demonstrated a method to
make functioning integrated circuits using carbon nanotubes. In order
to make the circuit work they developed methods to remove metallic
nanotubes, leaving only semiconducting nanotubes, as well as an
algorithm to deal with misaligned
nanotubes. The demonstration circuit
they fabricated in the university labs
contains 178 functioning transistors.
Printable electronic devices using
nanotube "ink" in inkjet printers

23. Other applications in this area include:
Carbon nanotubes used to direct electrons to illuminate pixels,
resulting in a lightweight, millimeter thick "nanoemissive" display
panel.
Transparent, flexible electronic devices using arrays of nanotubes

24. Carbon Nanotubes and the Environment
Carbon nanotubes are being developed to clean up oil spills.
Researchers have found that adding boron atoms during the growth of
carbon nanotubes causes the nanotubes to grow into a sponge like
material that can absorb many times it's weight in oil. These nanotube
sponges are made to be magnetic, which should make retrieval of
them easier once they are filled with oil.
Researchers at the Technische Universität München have
demonstrated a method of spraying carbon nanotubes onto flexible
plastic surfaces to produce sensors. The researchers believe that this
method could produce low cost sensors on surfaces such as the plastic
film wrapping food, so that the sensor could detect spoiled food.

25. Carbon nanotubes tipped with gold nanoparticles can be used to
trap oil drops polluting water. Since the gold end is attracted to water
while the carbon end is attracted to oil. Therefore the nanotubes form
spheres surrounding oil droplets with the carbon end pointed in,
toward the oil, and the gold end pointing out, toward the water.

26. What’s The Recent Research On CNTs?

27.  Growth mechanism of Fullerene and CNT is still a mystery
 At present, they are not possible to grow in a controlled way
 Still not able to select size and helicity during growth
 Making connection between CNTs is uncontrollable now
 When bulk quantity is needed no manufacturing techniques
are available
 Manipulation of CNTs is another problem
What’s The Challenges?

28. Thankyou…