Are carbon nanotubes chiral?

A nanotube is chiral if it has type (n,m), with m > 0 and m ≠ n; then its enantiomer (mirror image) has type (m,n), which is different from (n,m). The only types of nanotubes that are achiral are the (k,0) “zigzag” tubes and the (k,k) “armchair” tubes.

What are the three types of chirality associated with a carbon nanotube?

These three types of CNTs are armchair carbon nanotubes, zigzag carbon nanotubes, and chiral carbon nanotubes. The difference in these types of carbon nanotubes are created depending on how the graphite is “rolled up” during its creation process.

What is carbon nanotube technology?

A carbon nanotube is composed of a single or a few atomic layers of carbon in a cylindrical configuration. The best electrical performance is found in single or few-walled nanotubes in a highly aligned structures. Using a CNT shield in place of a metallic one could save 300 pounds.

Which technique is widely used for formation of carbon nanotubes?

But catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) is currently the standard technique for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes. This technique allows CNTs to expand on different of materials and involves the chemical breakdown of a hydrocarbon on a substrate.

What are chiral nanotubes?

Chiral CNT are characterized by (n, m) indices with n ≠ m: in chemical terms, enantiomeric chiral nanotubes have swapped indices (n, m) and (m, n), and can interact with chiral molecules such as the oligopeptides forming in principle complexes with an unlike stability.

What is chiral nanotube?

What is a nanotube used for?

As of 2013, carbon nanotube production exceeded several thousand tons per year, used for applications in energy storage, device modelling, automotive parts, boat hulls, sporting goods, water filters, thin-film electronics, coatings, actuators and electromagnetic shields.

How are carbon nanotubes formed in the CVD process?

In the CVD process, manufacturers can combine a metal catalyst (such as iron) with carbon-containing reaction gases (such as hydrogen or carbon monoxide) to form carbon nanotubes on the catalyst inside a high-temperature furnace. Schematic view of CNT growth on catalyst particles during CVD.

How are carbon nanotubes different from carbon nanofibers?

Please note that carbon nanotubes are different than carbon nanofibers (CNFs). CNFs are usually several micrometers long and have a diameter of about 200 nm. Carbon fibers have been used for decades to strengthen compound but they do not have the same lattice structure as CNTs.

What kind of devices can carbon nanotubes be used for?

All these properties make carbon nanotubes ideal candidates for electronic devices, chemical/electrochemical and biosensors, transistors, electron field emitters, lithium-ion batteries, white light sources, hydrogen storage cells, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), electrostatic discharge (ESD) and electrical-shielding applications.

When was the discovery of carbon nanotubes made?

In 1985 the discovery of the existence of a third and new carbon allotrope containing sixty perfectly symmetrically arranged carbon atoms (also known as C 60, fullerene, or buckyballs) meant a major breakthrough and opened a novel field of carbon nanochemistry. Then, in 1991, carbon nanotubes were discovered and graphene in 2004.