Carbon nanotubes physical properties

Of particular importance to carbon nanotube physics are the many possible symmetries or geometries that can be realized on a cylindrical surface in carbon nanotubes without the introduction of strain. For ID systems on a cylindrical surface, translational symmetry with a screw axis could affect the electronic structure and related properties. The exotic electronic properties of ID carbon nanotubes are seen to arise predominately from intralayer interactions, rather than from interlayer interactions between multilayers within a single carbon nanotube or between two different nanotubes. Since the symmetry of a single nanotube is essential for understanding the basic physics of carbon nanotubes, most of this article focuses on the symmetry properties of single layer nanotubes, with a brief discussion also provided for two-layer nanotubes and an ordered array of similar nanotubes. 

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The diameter distribution of single-wall carbon nanotubes is of great interest for both theoretical and experimental reasons, since theoretical studies indicate that the physical properties of carbon nanotubes are strongly dependent on the nanotube diameter. Early results for the diameter distribution of Fe-catalyzed single-wall nanotubes (Fig. 15) show a diameter range between 0.7 nm and 1.6 nm, with the largest peak in the distribution at 1.05 nm, and with a smaller peak at 0.85 nm [154]. The smallest reported diameter for a single-wall carbon nanotube is 0.7 nm [154], the same as the diameter of the Ceo molecule (0.71 nm) [162]. 

As further research on fullerenes and carbon nanotubes materials is carried out, it is expected, because of the extreme properties exhibited by these carbon-based materials, that other interesting physics and chemistry will be discovered, and that promising applications will be found for fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and related materials. 

In discussing the symmetry of the carbon nanotubes, it is assumed that the tubule length is much larger than its diameter, so that the tubule caps can be neglected when discussing the physical properties of the nanotubes. 

Dresselhaus, M. S., Dresselhaus, G. and Ekiund, P. C., Science of Fullerenes and Carbon Nanotubes, Academic Press, New York, NY, 1996. Salto, R., Dresselhaus, M. S. and Dresselhaus, G., Physical Properties of Carbon Nanotubes, Imperial College Press, London, 1998. 

TT-Electron materials, which are defined as those having extended Jt-electron clouds in the solid state, have various peculiar properties such as high electron mobility and chemical/biological activities. We have developed a set of techniques for synthesizing carbonaceous K-electron materials, especially crystalline graphite and carbon nanotubes, at temperatures below 1000°C. We have also revealed new types of physical or chemical interactions between Jt-electron materials and various other materials. The unique interactions found in various Jt-electron materials, especially carbon nanotubes, will lay the foundation for developing novel functional, electronic devices in the next generation. 

Saito, R., DresseUiaus, G., and DresseUiaus, M.S. Physical Properties of Carbon Nanotubes, Imperial CoUege Press London, 1, 1999. 

R Saito, G Dresselhaus, MS. Dresselhaus Physical Properties of Carbon Nanotubes. London Imperial College Press, 1998. 

Dresselhaus MS, Dresselhaus G, Charlier JC, Hernandez E (2004) Electronic, thermal and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series A-Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences 362 2065-2098. 

Kouklin N, Tzolov M, Straus D, Yin A, Xu JM (2004) Infrared absorption properties of carbon nanotubes synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. Applied Physics Letters 85 4463 1465. 

Encapsulation of different entities inside the CNT channel stands alone as an alternative noncovalent functionalization approach. Many studies on the filling of carbon nanotubes with ions or molecules focus on how the presence of these fillers affects the physical properties of the tubes. From a different point of view, confinement of materials inside the cylindrical structure could be regarded as a way to protect such materials from the external environment, with the tubes acting as a nanoreactor or a nanotransporter. It is fascinating to envision specific reactions between molecules occurring inside the aromatic cylindrical framework, tailored by CNT characteristic parameters such as diameter, affinity towards specific molecules, etc. 

Nanocarbon structures such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene, are characterized by their weak interphase interaction with host matrices (polymer, ceramic, metals) when fabricating composites [99,100]. In addition to their characteristic high surface area and high chemical inertness, this fact turns these carbon nanostructures into materials that are very difficult to disperse in a given matrix. However, uniform dispersion and improved nanotube/matrix interactions are necessary to increase the mechanical, physical and chemical properties as well as biocompatibility of the composites [101,102]. 

H. Y. Song, X. W. Zha, The effects of boron doping and boron grafts on the mechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes., Journal of Physics D-Applied Physics 2009,... 

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