Carbon Nanotubes (Essay Sample)

Carbon Nanotubes
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Carbon Nanotubes
Introduction
This paper discusses carbon Nanotubes. It looks into their electrical, mechanical, as well as thermal properties. Essentially Carbon Nanotubes are allotropes of carbon and contain nanostructures, which have a cylinder like shape. They have proven to be a very valued invention and are progressively finding usage in manufacturing of high quality products due to their properties like massive strength as well as unique electrical properties. They are among the strongest and toughest fibers known to date.
Carbon Nanotubes Properties
A layer of carbon atoms that are fused together in a hexagonal (honeycomb) mesh forms the structure of a carbon nanotube. This single atom thick layer of carbon is known as graphene, and is wrapped in a cylinder like shape and fused together to create a carbon nanotube. The Nanotube has a single outer carbon wall, or is comprised of multiple walls. Carbon nanotubes contain a range of thermal, electric, and structural properties that change based upon the nanotube’s physical design(Scoville, Cole, Hogg, Farooque, & Russell, n.d p. 2).
Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Structure
Single-walled carbon nanotubes have three different design formations: Chiral, Zigzag, and Armchair. The design is dependent on the wrapping of the graphene into the cylinder. For instance, a sheet of rolling paper from its edge is considered a single design, and a different design can be made by rolling the paper from its edge. A single-walled nanotube’s structure is epitomized by a pair of indices (n, m) known as chiral vector. The image below is a definition of a chiral vector.
The design structure has a direct effect on the nanotube’s electrical properties. When the indices pair is a multiple of three, then the nanotube is considered metallic, otherwise it remains a semiconductor (Scoville et al., n.d p. 2-3). While the Armchair design remains metallic, other designs make the nanotube a semiconductor.
Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Structure
Multi-walled nanotubes have two structure models namely the Russian Doll model, whereby carbon nanotubes contain another nanotube within its self, and the Parchment model, whereby a single sheet of graphene is rolled all over itself several times. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes have the same properties as single-walled nanotubes and have a higher ductile strength as compared to single-walled nanotubes (Scoville et al., n.d p. 3).
Mechanical Properties
Recent research has continuously shown that Nanotubes have high fibers of strength, have extraordinary high ductile strength, as well as elastic modules of which are the main reasons of its strength and toughness.
Electrical Properties
The carbon nanotube structure determines the conductivity of th...