Growing Interest in Carbon Nanotube
The report of Kroto et al. in 1985 on the discovery of "bulkyball", fullerene C60 molecule led into a new beginning in carbon materials and a huge interest in their sciences. Sumio Iijima of NEC Laboratory in Tsukuba observed MWNTs with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in 1991, and two years later he observed SWNTs. While for the first time, researchers at the William Rice University synthesised bundles of SWNTs in 1996, and most recently, in 2003 Fakhru'l-Razi, Iyuke and co-workers synthesised SWNTs intertwined bundles that are similar to the ship anchor rope shown in Fig. 10.2. This trend had originated opportunities for quantitative experimentations on carbon nanotube science. As soon as 2000, the growing interest in nanotubes has resulted in overwhelming out pour of publications and patents as compared to other nanomaterials. A relatively comprehensive survey by Gupta and Dwivedy has presented internationally patenting activities from 1987 to 2001 with 226 inventions drawn from the United States (56%), Japan (28%), South Korea (9%) and the remainder from other countries to reveal the current trend of interest in developing carbon nanotube technology towards commercialisation. Table 10.1 presents selected inventions of carbon nanotube science and technology. The growing interest in carbon nanotubes has currently attracted a vast volume of literature, while the coverage in R&D and discussions in general indicate great promises into the future. This is due to the fact that carbon nanotubes possess tremendous potentials for applications as a result of their unique properties in thermal and electrical conductivities, high strengths and stiffness, etc. These properties are directly connected to the carbon atom as the building block, which in turn is so unique among the elements in its ability to exist in a wide variety of structures and forms.
Table 10.1 Selected inventions in carbon nanotubes research in chronological order (Gupta and Dwivedy 2004)
Invention
Reference
Carbon fibrils, method for producing same 34
and compositions containing same
Carbon fibrils and method for producing same 23
Uncapped and thinned carbon nanotubes and 23
process
Carbon nanotubule enclosing a foreign 21
material
Process of isolation of carbon nanotubes from 14 a mixture containing carbon nanotubes and graphite particles
Method and device for the production of 13
carbon nanotubes
Process for the separation of carbon nanotubes 11 from graphite
Storage of hydrogen in layered nanostructures 23 Process for separating components from 24
gaseous streams
Method of purifying carbon nanotubes 13
Process for purifying uncapping and 19
chemically modifying carbon nanotubes
Method for producing encapsulated 12
nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes using catalytic disproportionation of carbon monoxide
Method of forming carbon nanotubes on a 16
carbonacous body, composite material obtained thereby and electron beam source element using same
Method for making carbon nanotubes 12
Field emission device having nanostructured 39 emitters
Graphitic nanotubes in luminescence assays 8
Nanometer-scale microscopy probes 9
Field emission cold-cathode device 27
Field emission electron source 20
Method for manufacturing carbon nanotubes 17 as functional elements of MEMS devices Method of making ropes of single walled 9 carbon nanotubes
Electron-emitting source and method of 13 manufacturing the same
Process for fabricating article comprising 9 aligned truncated carbon nanotubes Article comprising enhanced nanotube emitter 13 structure and process for fabricating article_
Tennet et al. 1987 Tennet et al. 1992 Green and Tsang 1994
Ajayan et al. 1993 Uchida et al. 1994
Ohshima et. al. 1996
Ikazaki et al. 1997 Rodriguez et al. 1997 Rodriguez et al. 1997 Ebbesen et al. 1997 Hiura and Ebbesen 1997
Nolan et al. 1998
Yamamoto et. al. 1998
Olk, 1998
Debe, 1998
Massey et al. 1999 Lieber et. al. 2000 Nakamoto, 2000 Zettl and Cohen 2000
Mancevski, 2000 Smalley et al. 2001 Uemura et al. 2001 Jin et al., 1999 Jin et al. 2001
- Fig. 10.2. Typical SWNTs intertwined into bundles of ropes (Fakhru'l et al. 2003)
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