Carbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical structure that can be either single-walled or multi-walled. They have extraordinary properties including being stronger than steel but lighter than aluminum, with excellent thermal and chemical stability and conductive properties. Carbon nanotubes have many potential applications such as in transparent electrodes, lithium batteries, solar cells, and electronics. However, issues around cost and toxicity must still be addressed before their widespread commercial use.

1. EXCITING FUTURE OF CARBON
NANOTUBES

2. What Are They?
•Allotropes of carbon
with a cylindrical
structure
•Can be capped on the
ends with buckyballs or
open ended
•Composed entirely of sp2
bonds

3. Why Should We Care?
• Strong like a steel
• Light as a aluminum
• Elastic like Plastic
• Excellent Chemical and
thermal Stability
• Rich electronic properties

4. CNT
Two types of CNTs
multi walled
make incredibly strong fibers
single walled
well suited for electrical and thermal conduction
the strength of a MWNT is ten times higher than any other known
fiber!

5. PROPERTIES
Single Walled CNT Multi Walled CNT
Length Less than 100nm up to several cm
Diameter .8-2nm 5-20nm
L/D 100- 4x10^7 20-2x10^6
Thermal Conductivity 3500 W/mK
(>diamond)
-
Tensile Strength - 100 Gpa

6. Synthesis of CNTs
 Arc discharge
 CNTs Can be found in the carbon soot of graphite electrodes during
an arc discharge involving high current. This process yields CNTs with
lengths up to 50 microns.

7.  Laser Ablation
 In the laser ablation process, a pulsed laser vaporizes a
graphite target in a high-temperature reactor while an inert gas
is inserted into the reactor. Nanotubes develop on the cooler
surfaces of the reactor as the vaporized carbon condenses.
 Other methods where CNTs are created:
 - Chemical Vapor Decomposition
 - Natural, incidental, and controlled flame environments

8. Emerging application
• Transparent electrodes
• Lithium batteries
• Super capacitors
• CNT based electronic
components such as
field effect transistor
• Coating and films etc.

9. Demand of CNTs in various industries

10. Product opportunity of CNTs
• Solar heat electric generation
• Power cables
• Silicon replacement in semiconductor circuit
• Aircraft body material
• Wind power generator fan blade
• Nanomachines- CNT based nanogear with
benzene molecule bonded as teeth.

11. Challenges and potential
 Potentials :
– the new wonder material, can useful in many types of industry
,especially in electronics applications
– The field of research for CNTs has become so broad over the past
20 years that they are being tested for use in fields .
 Challenges :
– Too expensive .
– toxicological issues.

12. Solutions
• Driving down CNTs prices by mass production
• Using waste materials for CNTs production such
as polyethylene which are good carbonaceous
feed for CNTs production.
• Develop exposure standards for
Inhalation
Ingestion
Skin contact
Injection

13. APPLICATIONS
Biotechnology
Coating
Environment
Energy storage
Microelectronics
Films
Water filters
Transistors
Biosensors
screens