Skip to main content

Brief Summary of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Properties and Applications

Carbon nanotubes are materials that possess remarkable properties and offer extraordinary possibilities. This article gives a brief overview of the physico-chemical nature and characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs).
Single-walled carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes share some similarities, but also some of significant differences. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes can be thought of as a series of single walled tubes nested within one another. There may be as few as 2, or as many as 100 plus concentric walls. Their diameters may, therefore, be as great as 50nm as opposed to 0.7 - 2.0 nm for a typical single-walled carbon nanotubes. Just the outer wall generally contributes to the electrical and mechanical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes when used in composites, for example, affording the opportunity for much lower loading of single-walled carbon nanotubes versus multi-walled carbon nanotubes.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes have excellent properties and are being employed in a large number of commercial applications. The properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes are:
Physical: Defect–free, individual, multi-walled carbon nanotubes have an excellent tensile strength and when integrated into a composite, such as a thermoplastic or thermoset compounds, can significantly increase its strength.
Electrical: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are highly conductive when properly integrated into a composite structure. One must note that the outer wall alone is conducting; the inner walls are not instrumental to conductivity.
Chemical: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are an allotrope of sp2 hybridized carbon similar to graphite and fullerenes and as such have high chemical stability. However, one can functionalize the nanotubes to enhance both the strength and dispersibility of composites.
Thermal: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes have a thermal stability more than 600 °C, based on the level of defects and to certain extent on the purity as residual catalyst in the product can catalyze decomposition.                                                  

Applications of multiple-walled carbon nanotubes:
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are used in additives in polymers
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are used in wafer processing fabrication.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are used in RFI shielding materials.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are used in water filtration membranes.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are used in electron field emitters for cathode ray lighting elements.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Carbon Nanotube Threads

Since its discovery, carbon nanotube (CNT) has attracted many interests in different technology fields due to its extraordinary properties. Properties such as, high strength, great electrical and thermal conductivity, light weight and flexibility made CNT one of the best materials for wide range of applications. However, from its name it can be understood that CNT is a nanoscale material which is very small to be applied for the production of daily products. Researchers all around the world are working on finding methods and techniques which could produce new materials with the extraordinary properties of CNT. Image retrieved from:  https://worldindustrialreporter.com/strong-light-flexible-carbon-nanotubes-threads-with-ultrahigh-conductivity/ One of these research is focusing on the production of high strength threads that can be used in the manufacturing of fabrics, cables and ropes. An international group of scientists were able to produce a flexible conductive thread th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Multi Walled Carbon Nanotube Dispersions

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)  have attracted enormous attention in recent years due to its unique physical, electronic, optical and potential applications in materials science and nanotechnology. The van der Waals interaction between tubes, however, makes CNTs aggregate in most organic solvents and aqueous solutions, which is the major limitation of their practical applications.Various approaches have been studied to alter the CNT surface to promote the dispersion of individual nanotubes and prevent their reaggregation. On the basis of this widely accepted viewpoint, numerous techniques such as covalent bonding, surfactant coating and polymer wrapping have been developed for surface modification or sidewall functionalization.These methods, however, are complicated, time-consuming and cause permanent damage to the CNT structure and properties of the surface, which produces residues of the dispersion agent for the final product. Figure: Single Walled Carbon Nanotube (SWCNT) It ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles/Nanopowder and Applications

General Information about Magnesium Oxide Magnesium oxide which has the chemical formula of MgO, is a white hygroscopic solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of Magnesium. It is a white powder at room temperature. Magnesium Oxide has very high melting point (2825  o C) and boiling point (3600  o C).                                                                                                                                                                                Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles/Nanopowder an...
Post a Comment
Read more