Carbon Nanotubes

• Introduction
• Applications
• Growth Techniques
• Growth Mechanism
5
How to roll the nanotube ?
1. A carbon nanotube is
based on a two-
dimensional graphene
sheet.
2. The chiral vector is
defined on the
hexagonal lattice as
Ch = nâ1 + mâ2,
3. Chiral angle
4. Role/cap off
 Chiral vector - (10,0) nanotube

c=
na
1 +m
a2 =
10
a1
a2

a1

• nanotube diameter d & chiral angle Θ determine microscopic structure

• specified by the chiral vector c around the circumference
Carbon nanotubes (Wiley,
2004)
 Chiral vector - (n,m) nanotube
c = n a1 + m a2 = 8 a 1 + 8 a2

a2

a1

• nanotube diameter d & chiral angle Θ determine microscopic structure

• specified by the chiral vector c around the circumference
Carbon nanotubes (Wiley,
2004)
 Nanotube structure
(8,8) (6,6) (10,0) (8,3)

• typical samples contain 40 – 100 different chiralities

• controlling chirality during growth is impossible
Carbon nanotubes (Wiley,
2004)
 Nanotube structure

• nanotube diameter d & chiral angle Θ determine microscopic structure

Carbon nanotubes (Wiley,

2004)
Different types of nanotubes

(n, 0) or (0, m) and

have a chiral angle
of 0°,
armchair nanotubes
have (n, n) and a
chiral angle of 30°,
while
chiral nanotubes
have general (n, m)
values and a chiral
angle of between 0°
and 30°.
 Multiwalled carbon nanotubes can be formed in two structural models:

Russian Doll model.

Acarbon nanotube contains another nanotube inside it and the outer nanotube has a

greater diameter than thinner nanotube.

Parchment model

A single graphene sheet is wrapped around itself manifold times, the same as a rolled up

scroll of paper.

MWCNTs and SWCNTs have similar properties. Because of the multilayer nature of
MWCNTs, the outer walls can not only shield the inner carbon nanotubes from
chemical interactions with outside substances but also present high tensile strength
properties, which do not exist in SWCNTs
Single walled nanotubes Multi walled nanotubes

Single layer of graphene

Comparison
Multiple layers of graphene

Catalyst is required for synthesis Can be produced without catalyst

Bulk synthesis is difficult as it requires proper Bulk synthesis is easy

control over growth and atmospheric
condition

Purity is poor Purity is high

A chance of defect is more during A chance of defect is less but once occurred it
functionalization is difficult to improve

Less accumulation in the body More accumulation in the body

Characterization and evaluation is easy It has very complex structure

 Nanotube Growth Methods
a) Arc Discharge b) Laser Abalation
• Involve condensation of C-atoms generated from evaporation of solid
carbon sources. Temperature ~ 3000-4000K, close to melting point of
graphite.
• Both produce high-quality SWNTs and MWNTs.
• MWNT: 10’s of m long, very straight & have 5-30nm diameter.
• SWNT: needs metal catalyst (Ni,Co etc.).
Produced in form of ropes consisting of 10’s of individual nanotubes close
packed in hexagonal crystals.
 Nanotubes Growth Methods
c) Chemical Vapor Deposition:
Hydrocarbon + Fe/Co/Ni catalyst 550-750°C
CNT

Steps:
• Dissociation of hydrocarbon.
• Dissolution and saturation
of C atoms in metal nanoparticle.
• Precipitation of Carbon.

Choice of catalyst material?

Base Growth Mode or Tip Growth Mode?

• Metal support interactions
 Arc discharge Chemical vapor Laser ablation
method deposition (vaporization)
Connect two graphite rods to Place substrate in oven, heat Blast graphite with intense
a power supply, place them to 600 C, and slowly add a laser pulses; use the laser
millimeters apart, and throw carbon-bearing gas such as pulses rather than electricity
switch. At 100 amps, carbon methane. As gas decomposes to generate carbon gas from
vaporizes in a hot plasma. it frees up carbon atoms, which the NTs form; try
which recombine in the form various conditions until hit
of NTs on one that produces
prodigious amounts of
SWNTs
Can produce SWNT and Easiest to scale to industrial Primarily SWNTs, with a
MWNTs with few structural production; long length large diameter range that can
defects be controlled by varying the
reaction temperature

Tubes tend to be short with NTs are usually MWNTs By far the most costly,
random sizes and directions and often riddled with because requires expensive
defects lasers
 Carbon Nanotube Purification Methods

 Boiling of SWNTs in nitric acid or hydrofluoric acid aqueous solutions for

purification of SWNTs and removing amorphous carbon and metal particles as

an efficient and simple technique.

 sonication of nanotube in different media and afterward thermal oxidation of

SWNT material (at 470°C) as well as hydrochloric acid treatments.

 Carbon Nanotube Purification Methods

All purification procedures have the following main steps:

 Deletion of large graphite particles

 Aggregations with filtration

 Dissolution in appropriate solvents to eliminate catalyst particles

(concentrated acids as solvent) and fullerenes (use of organic solvents),

 Microfiltration and chromatography to size separation and remove the

amorphous carbon clusters

Applications
What are they?
• Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals.

• They are made of many of the same materials

as ordinary semiconductors (mainly combinations
of transition metals and/or metalloids).

• Unlike ordinary bulk semiconductors, which are

generally macroscopic objects, quantum dots are
extremely small, on the order of a few
nanometers. They are very nearly zero-
dimensional.
Bands and the Bandgap

Image courtesy of Evident Technologies

Excitons

• We call the electron-hole pairs

“excitons.”
• Excitons for a given semiconductor
material have a particular size (the
separation between the electron and the
corresponding hole) called the “exciton
Bohr radius.”
Qauntum Dots
• What are they?
• How are they made?

Image courtesy of Dr. D. Talapin, University of Hamburg

Types of quantum dots
Optical Storage
• Quantum dots have been an enabling technology
for the manufacture of blue lasers

• The high energy in a blue laser allows for as much

as 35 times as much data storage than conventional
optical storage media.

• Less affected by temperature fluctuations, which

reduces data errors.

• This technology is currently available in new high-

definition DVD players, and will also be used in the
new Sony Playstation 3.
Light Emitting Diodes

Image courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories

Light Emitting Diodes
• Quantum Light Emitting Diodes (QLEDs) are superior
to standard LEDs in the same ways the quantum dots
are superior to bulk semiconductors.
• The tunability of QDs gives them the ability to emit nearly
any frequency of light - a traditional LED lacks this
ability.
• Quantum dot-based LEDs can be crafted in a wide
range of form factors.

• Traditional incandescent bulbs may be replaced using

QLED technology, since QLEDs can provide a low-heat,
full-spectrum source of light.
Organic Dyes
• In vivo imaging of biological
specimens.
• Long-term photostability.
• Multiple colors with a single
excitation source.
• Possible uses for tumor
detection in fluorescence
spectroscopy.
• Possible toxicity issues?
Image courtesy of Invitrogen
Quantum Computing
• Pairs of quantum dots are candidates for qubit
fabrication.
• The degree of precision with which one can measure
the quantum properties of the dots is very high, so a
quantum computer (which functions by checking the state
and superposition of the quantum numbers in entangled
groups) would be easily constructed.
Security
• Quantum dots can be used in the fabrication of
artificial “dust” set up to emit at a specific frequency
of infrared light.
• This dust could be used in any number of security-related
applications.

• Placing the dust in hostile, difficult-to-monitor terrain would

allow the tracking of forces moving through the area, as it
would stick to their clothing and equipment.
• This “taggant” causes any coated object to become
highly visible when viewed through night-vision goggles.
Solar Power
• The adjustable bandgap of quantum dots allow the
construction of advanced solar cells.
• These new cells would benefit from the adjustability
of the dots, as they would be able to utilize much more
of the sun’s spectrum than before.
• Quantum dots have been found to emit up to three
electrons per photon of sunlight, as opposed to only
one for standard photovoltaic panels.
• Theoretically, this could boost solar power efficiency
from 20-30% to as high as 65%
Conclusion
• A number of additional applications exist or are being
developed that utilize quantum dots.
• Quantum dots provide an example of the possibilities
that research at the nanoscale can provide.
• The future is bright for this new and innovative
technology.