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Nanotubes and Buckyballs

 

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Nanotubes, as with many of the topics I write about on this site, was a difficult subject for me to grasp. Everything I know about chemistry can be found in a bartender's guide. The significant role that nanotubes play in the benefits and risks of nanotechnology, made it important that I try at least understand the basics. You know what? It wasn't that hard to understand the concept of a nanotube or buckyball, once I learned what an allotrope was.

Allotropes

Diamonds, the hardest known natural mineral, and the flaky graphite used in pencils are both made of carbon. How is it that they are so different?

Pure carbon occurs as many different allotropes (structures which differ only in the way the atoms are arranged.) Allotropes generally differ in physical properties such as color and hardness.

Diamond and graphite are two allotropes of the element carbon. Buckyballs and nanotubes are two more. This diagram shows how the atoms are arranged for each allotrope.

The discovery in 1985 of buckminsterfullerene (buckyball), opened a new era for the chemistry of carbon and for novel materials. The Japanese Sumi Ijima discovered nanotubes in 1991. The nanotubes synthesized in the laboratory showed remarkable mechanic properties as well as thermal conductivity and resistance to flame.

A nanotube is a long cylinder whose diameter is just a few nanometers. Most often, nanotubes are made of carbon. The carbon nanotube's structure can be thought of as a sheet of graphite (carbon atoms bonded in a chicken wire pattern) which has been rolled into a cylinder. The cylinder can be hundreds of microns long and capped at each end with half of a buckyball.

Carbon nanotubes exhibit many unique and remarkable properties (chemical, physical, electrical and mechanical), which make them well-suited for a wide variety of applications. It is estimated that they are 100 times stronger than steel, at one-sixth of the weight. They conduct electricity better than copper and transmit heat better than diamond.

In electronics, CNTs have been used to develop smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient devices. CNTs can be used as transistors, interconnects, and electrodes, replacing traditional materials such as copper and silicon. The unique electronic properties of CNTs, such as their high electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity, make them an attractive material for the development of next-generation electronic devices.

CNTs have also been used in materials science to develop new composites with improved properties. By adding CNTs to other materials, such as polymers, ceramics, or metals, the resulting composites can exhibit improved strength, stiffness, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. These properties make them suitable for a variety of applications, such as in aerospace, construction, and sporting equipment.

In energy applications, CNTs have been used to develop more efficient solar panels and batteries. CNTs can be used as an electrode material in lithium-ion batteries, which are used in many electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones. The high electrical conductivity of CNTs can improve the performance of the battery by enabling faster charging and discharging.

Despite their potential benefits, the use of CNTs also raises concerns about their safety and environmental impact. CNTs have been shown to be toxic to some living organisms, and their long-term effects on human health are not yet fully understood. As a result, research is ongoing to understand the potential risks associated with the use of CNTs.

Carbon nanotubes represent a promising technology with potential applications in various fields. Their unique properties, such as their strength, stiffness, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity, make them an attractive material for the development of next-generation electronic devices, materials, and energy systems. However, the potential risks associated with the use of CNTs must also be carefully studied and managed to ensure their safe and responsible development and use.

 

 

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