Carbon Nanotubes

CARBON NANOTOBES, THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY?

By Zachary Toda

So 2 weeks ago, I was looking through my subscriptions on Youtube, when I saw a video on "Cedric", a computer that runs on Carbon Nanotube transistors.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9j36d25VMo)

This isn't the first time I've heard of Carbon Nanotubes (CNFs), but what exactly are they? And why is it so significant?

CNF is basically a group of carbon atoms that are arranged into a hollow cylindrical structure. They aregenerally categorized into 2 groups, the Single-Walled Nanotubes(SWNTs), and the Multi-Walled Nanotubes(MWNTs), their differing characteristics should be obvious. What interests various scientists and researchers about CNFs are its properties.

Various fibers have been tested to have a tensile strength between 11 - 63 gigapascals (GPa). Assuming 63 GPa, that means a sq. meter of CNF's can carry roughly over 100, 000 whales.

Another significant property of CNFs is its ability to be either conductive, or semiconductive, depending on how the carbon atoms are arranged in the tube. Theoretically, it states that its conductive property can be up to 1000x more than that of copper.

So, what are the other uses for CNFs?

There are various sites where scientists conduct research and experiments using CNFs to increase battery life, to make better solar cells, to create artificial muscles, and to clean up oil spills, to name a few.

Quite a lot of applications for a tiny tube of carbon atoms right? It's a lot more interesting than diamond right?

References:
https://www.youtube.com/user/truthloader
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotube#Strength
http://www.understandingnano.com/nanotubes-carbon.html