CNT – CARBON NANOTUBES
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), or “the material of the future,” are carbon
allotropes with cylindrical nanostructures. Unlike any other existing
material, carbon nanotubes are manufactured with a length-to-diameter
ratio. These carbon molecules, arranged cylindrically in a network,
develop such unusual properties that they can be used in almost any
area of materials science and technology. Suppose you want to imagine
the size ratio of carbon nanotubes. In that case, the following
comparison is valid: The size of a carbon nanotube to a pinhead
corresponds to the ratio of a pinhead to the size of the earth.
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
Carbon nanotubes are the most robust and stable material ever
developed in terms of elasticity and simultaneous tensile and
compressive strength. In laboratory tests, a standard tensile strength
of 63 GPa was determined for carbon nanotubes. In comparison, a steel
wire has a standard tensile strength of only 1.2 to 3.0 GPa. If you
take a steel wire with a diameter of 1 mm, it can withstand a tensile
force of approximately 305 kg. A comparable wire made of carbon
nanotubes can withstand a tensile force of 6,422 kg.
Carbon nanotubes are the most robust and stable material ever
developed in terms of elasticity and simultaneous tensile and
compressive strength. In laboratory tests, a standard tensile strength
of 63 GPa was determined for carbon nanotubes. In comparison, a steel
wire has a standard tensile strength of only 1.2 to 3.0 GPa. If you
take a steel wire with a diameter of 1 mm, it can withstand a tensile
force of approximately 305 kg. A comparable wire made of carbon
nanotubes can withstand a tensile force of 6,422 kg.
The properties of CNTs in terms of current-carrying capacity and
thermal conductivity are also outstanding. The former is about 1000
times higher than copper wires, and the latter is almost twice as high
as diamond, the best naturally occurring heat conductor, at room
temperature.
Since CNTs can also be semiconductors, they find their use in making
excellent transistors that can withstand higher voltages and
temperatures- and thus higher clock frequencies – than silicon
transistors.