A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a tube made of carbon with a diameter in the nanoscale range.
There are two classes of CNT:
- Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have diameters around 0.5–2.0 nanometres, about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. They are like two-dimensional graphene sheets rolled up to form a hollow cylinder.
- Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) consist of nested single-wall carbon nanotubes in a nested, tube-in-tube structure.
Remarkable properties of a CNT:[]
- Thermal conductivity higher than diamond
- Better electrical conductivity than copper
- High tensile strength because of the adamantine strength of the bonds between carbon atoms (orders of magnitude stronger than steel)
- Adsorption used for filtering toxic chemicals, dissolved salts and biological contaminants from water
Uses:[]
- Electronics; semiconductors and RAM (NRAM); transistors
- Optics
- Composite materials
- Nanotechnology
- Superconducting
- Megastructures such as the space elevator
- Bullet-proof vests
- Water-resistant clothing
- Light-weight composites for automobiles, planes, and spacecraft
- SWNT ink for use in displays, sensors and other electronic devices
- Radiation-shield materials
- Water purification