CARBON NANOTUBES: SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURE, PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS
Dr. K. Shree Meenakshi
Author / Research Scholar
About the Author(s)
She was bo in the Madurai District of Tamil Nadu. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry with First Class from Madras University, Tamil Nadu. She obtained her Master's degree in Applied Chemistry with First Class and Master of Philosophy in Chemistry with First Class-Distinction from Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She has also received her doctorate from Anna University, Chennai by doing extensive research in the eld of polymer nanocomposites and studying their suitability for high performance aerospace and advanced engineering applications. She has worked as a JRF (Junior Research Fellow) in DST (Department of Science and Technology) project and she has received SRF (Senior Research Fellowship) from CSIR for her contributions to advanced research. She has successfully completed several projects in National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), CSIR Complex, Taramani, Chennai. She has presented her work in several national & inte ational conferences and published her research work in several reputed inte ational jou al of high impact factors. She writes books with passion for the benet of students and the research community.
Synopsis & Scholarly Abstract
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have recently emerged as the wonder materials of the new century and are being considered for a whole host of applications ranging from large scale structures in automobiles to nano-meter scale electronics. Fortuitously discovered by Japanese physicist Sumio Iijima while he was studying the surface of graphite electrodes in an electric arc discharge, CNTs simply known as 'nanotubes,' are cylindrical carbon allotrope nanostructures.1Since Iijima's revelation, CNTs have retained a key role in the eld of nanotechnology due to their particular electronic, mechanical, and structural properties. CNTs possess great conductivity and high aspect ratio which enables the formation of a network of conductive tubes. Their exceptional mechanical properties derive from an amalgamation of strength, stiffness and tenacity. Integrated into a polymer, CNTs shift their mechanical load to the polymer matrix at a weight percentage signicantly lower than those of carbon black or carbon bres, promoting applications with greater efciency. CNTs have also been used for thermal protection as thermal interface materials. Their unique electronic and mechanical properties can be utilized across a diverse range of applications, such as nanocomposite materials, nano sensors, eld-emission displays, and logic elements. The utility of CNTs has been studied in great detail ranging from applications in pioneering electronic fabrication extending to pharmaceutical elds for treatment of many different types of disease. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have diameters on the order of single digit nanometres, and their lengths can range from tens of nanometres to several centimetres. SWNTs also exhibit extraordinary mechanical properties ideal for applications in reinforced composite materials and nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS): Young's modulus is over 1 TPa and the tensile strength is an estimated 200 GPa. Additionally, SWNTs have very interesting band structures. Depending on the atomic arrangement of the carbon atoms making up the nanotube (chirality), the electronic properties can be metallic or semiconducting in nature, making it possible to create nano-electronic devices, circuits, and computers using SWNTs. This book introduces carbon nanotubes, the science used to investigate them and their applications. My sincere thanks to my mentors in Loyola College, Anna University, National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML) and National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), CSIR for their constant encouragement in my research work.