materials-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Composites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2011) | Viewed by 45814

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Physics, The Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (AMBER) Centre, Trinity College Dublin, 2 Dublin, Ireland
Interests: nanocarbon, including carbon nanotubes, graphene, and fullerenes; 2D nanosheets, including TMDC, phosphorene, antimonene; nanophotonics, including visible and infrared spectroscopy, ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopy, nonlinear optics, optical limiting, and saturable absorption; nanomaterials applications in photonics, renewable energy and biomedical devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanocarbon occurs in six different basic forms: graphene, graphite, fullerenes, nanodiamond, nanotubes and nanocones. Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes about two decades ago by Sumino Iijima, steady scientific and technological progress on numerous  aspects of research related to synthesis, purification, structure, properties and applications has been observed, as is typical for any new and novel material. The properties of nanotubes are truly remarkable as a result of their unusual one-dimensional structure. This results in numerous superior physical and chemical properties, such as strongest mechanical strength, highest thermal conductivity, extraordinary electrical conductivity, room temperature ballistic quantum conductance and super surface functionality. At this stage, research on carbon nanotube applications spans a wide variety of sectors, ranging from composite materials, nanoelectronics, flat panel displays, sensors, and nanomedical devices to novel instrumentation. This special issue will provide a timely and comprehensive overview of the state of Nanocarbon materials and their applications, with particular focus on Carbon Nanotubes.

Prof. Dr. Werner Blau
Guest Editor

Keywords

Topics covered will include:

  • Nanocarbons - Graphene, Graphite, Carbon Nanotubes, Carbon Fibers and Fullerenes
  • Functionalisation – Covalent and Non-Covalent, Dispersion, Nanocomposites
  • Nanotube Growth – Arc Discharge, Laser Ablation, CVD, Growth Mechanisms
  • Characterization – Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy, Scanning Probe Microscopy and Spectroscopy, Raman, Optical Absorption and Photoluminescence
  • Properties – Mechanical, Electrical, Thermal, Optical, Electrochemical, Toxicity and Environmental Impact
  • Applications in Chemistry, Electronics, Photonics, Optoelectronics, Energy, Biomedicine, Actuation, Aerospace, etc.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

555 KiB  
Article
Influence of Carbon Nanotubes on Thermal Stability of Water-Dispersible Nanofibrillar Polyaniline/Nanotube Composite
by Ana López Cabezas, Xianjie Liu, Qiang Chen, Shi-Li Zhang, Li-Rong Zheng and Zhi-Bin Zhang
Materials 2012, 5(2), 327-335; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma5020327 - 17 Feb 2012
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 7141
Abstract
Significant influence on the thermal stability of polyaniline (PANI) in the presence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is reported. By means of in-situ rapid mixing approach, water-dispersible nanofibrillar PANI and composites, consisting of MWCNTs uniformly coated with PANI in the state of emeraldine [...] Read more.
Significant influence on the thermal stability of polyaniline (PANI) in the presence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is reported. By means of in-situ rapid mixing approach, water-dispersible nanofibrillar PANI and composites, consisting of MWCNTs uniformly coated with PANI in the state of emeraldine salt, with a well-defined core-shell heterogeneous structure, were prepared. The de-protonation process in PANI occurs at a lower temperature under the presence of MWCNTs on the polyaniline composite upon thermal treatment. However, it is found that the presence of MWCNTs significantly enhances the thermal stability of PANI’s backbone upon exposure to laser irradiation, which can be ascribed to the core-shell heterogeneous structure of the composite of MWCNTs and PANI, and the high thermal conductivity of MWCNTs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

1707 KiB  
Article
Carbon Nanotubes: Solution for the Therapeutic Delivery of siRNA?
by D. Lynn Kirkpatrick, Michelle Weiss, Anton Naumov, Geoffrey Bartholomeusz, R. Bruce Weisman and Olga Gliko
Materials 2012, 5(2), 278-301; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma5020278 - 13 Feb 2012
Cited by 48 | Viewed by 9618
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes have many unique physical and chemical properties that are being widely explored for potential applications in biomedicine especially as transporters of drugs, proteins, DNA and RNA into cells. Specifically, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) have been shown to deliver siRNA to tumors [...] Read more.
Carbon nanotubes have many unique physical and chemical properties that are being widely explored for potential applications in biomedicine especially as transporters of drugs, proteins, DNA and RNA into cells. Specifically, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) have been shown to deliver siRNA to tumors in vivo. The low toxicity, the excellent membrane penetration ability, the protection afforded against blood breakdown of the siRNA payload and the good biological activity seen in vivo suggests that SWCNT may become universal transfection vehicles for siRNA and other RNAs for therapeutic applications. This paper will introduce a short review of a number of therapeutic applications for carbon nanotubes and provide recent data suggesting SWCNT are an excellent option for the delivery of siRNA clinically. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

401 KiB  
Article
Spinning Carbon Nanotube Nanothread under a Scanning Electron Microscope
by Weifeng Li, Chaminda Jayasinghe, Vesselin Shanov and Mark Schulz
Materials 2011, 4(9), 1519-1527; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma4091519 - 29 Aug 2011
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 7671
Abstract
Nanothread with a diameter as small as one hundred nanometers was manufactured under a scanning electron microscope. Made directly from carbon nanotubes, and inheriting their superior electrical and mechanical properties, nanothread may be the world’s smallest man-made fiber. The smallest thread that can [...] Read more.
Nanothread with a diameter as small as one hundred nanometers was manufactured under a scanning electron microscope. Made directly from carbon nanotubes, and inheriting their superior electrical and mechanical properties, nanothread may be the world’s smallest man-made fiber. The smallest thread that can be spun using a bench-top spinning machine is about 5 microns in diameter. Nanothread is a new material building block that can be used at the nanoscale or plied to form yarn for applications at the micro and macro scales. Preliminary electrical and mechanical properties of nanothread were measured. The resistivity of nanothread is less than 10−5 Ω∙m. The strength of nanothread is greater than 0.5 GPa. This strength was obtained from measurements using special glue that cures in an electron microscope. The glue weakened the thread, thus further work is needed to obtain more accurate measurements. Nanothread will have broad applications in enabling electrical components, circuits, sensors, and tiny machines. Yarn can be used for various macroscale applications including lightweight antennas, composites, and cables. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

124 KiB  
Review
Carbon Nanomaterials: Efficacy and Safety for Nanomedicine
by Takuya Yamashita, Kohei Yamashita, Hiromi Nabeshi, Tomoaki Yoshikawa, Yasuo Yoshioka, Shin-ichi Tsunoda and Yasuo Tsutsumi
Materials 2012, 5(2), 350-363; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma5020350 - 21 Feb 2012
Cited by 53 | Viewed by 8146
Abstract
Carbon nanomaterials, including fullerenes, carbon nanohorns, and carbon nanotubes, are increasingly being used in various fields owing to these materials’ unique, size-dependent functions and physicochemical properties. Recently, because of their high variability and stability, carbon nanomaterials have been explored as a novel tool [...] Read more.
Carbon nanomaterials, including fullerenes, carbon nanohorns, and carbon nanotubes, are increasingly being used in various fields owing to these materials’ unique, size-dependent functions and physicochemical properties. Recently, because of their high variability and stability, carbon nanomaterials have been explored as a novel tool for the delivery of therapeutic molecules including peptide and nucleic acid cancer drugs. However, insufficient information is available regarding the safety of carbon nanomaterials for human health, even though such information is vital for the development of safe and effective nanomedicine technologies. In this review, we discuss currently available information regarding the safety of carbon nanomaterials in nanomedicine applications, including information obtained from our own studies; and we discuss types of carbon nanomaterials that demonstrate particular promise for safe nanomedicine technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
7198 KiB  
Review
Buckling of Carbon Nanotubes: A State of the Art Review
by Hiroyuki Shima
Materials 2012, 5(1), 47-84; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma5010047 - 28 Dec 2011
Cited by 111 | Viewed by 12389
Abstract
The nonlinear mechanical response of carbon nanotubes, referred to as their “buckling” behavior, is a major topic in the nanotube research community. Buckling means a deformation process in which a large strain beyond a threshold causes an abrupt change in the strain energy [...] Read more.
The nonlinear mechanical response of carbon nanotubes, referred to as their “buckling” behavior, is a major topic in the nanotube research community. Buckling means a deformation process in which a large strain beyond a threshold causes an abrupt change in the strain energy vs. deformation profile. Thus far, much effort has been devoted to analysis of the buckling of nanotubes under various loading conditions: compression, bending, torsion, and their certain combinations. Such extensive studies have been motivated by (i) the structural resilience of nanotubes against buckling, and (ii) the substantial influence of buckling on their physical properties. In this contribution, I review the dramatic progress in nanotube buckling research during the past few years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop