Carbon nanotubes are part of the Fullerenes family and are of two main type
Although carbon nanotubes were accidentally discovered in 1991, they have generated a lot of interest due to their many applications in industrial and domestic equipment. Some of the applications of carbon nanotubes include use in reinforced materials, semiconductor devices, catalysts, sensors and magnetic nanocomposites. Carbon nanotubes grow on negative electrodes in reaction chambers and are developed by rolling a sheet of graphene into hollow tubes. Carbon nanotubes have high mechanical strengths and good electrical properties, which makes them useful in many applications. Three major carbon nanotubes structures include the chiral, armchair and zigzag structures.
Carbon nanotubes are part of the Fullerenes family and are of two main types: single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The single-walled carbon nanotubes exist as single cylinders while the multi-walled carbon nanotubes exist as concentric cylindrical tubes. Carbon nanotubes are produced using laser ablation, arc discharge, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, carbon vapor deposition as well as electrolytic methods. However, electrolytic methods are rarely used. Properties of carbon nanotubes vary depending on the method used to produce them. This is because different methods used in synthesizing carbon nanotubes result in different carbon nanotube structures and different levels of byproducts and defects. The four major deformities which arise during the synthesis of carbon nanotubes include topological, rehybridization, incomplete bonding and doping defects.
