Researchers have only succeeded in creating highly resistant interfaces between substrates & nanotubes however many carbon nanotube applications require them to attach to electrical conductive surfaces.
Many carbon nanotube applications require them to attach to electrical conductive surfaces. Till now, researchers have only succeeded in creating highly resistant interfaces between substrates & nanotubes. Now, a US research team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute claims to have developed two techniques for placing patterns of carbon nanotube on metallic surfaces of any shape and size.
Results, appearing in Nature Nanotechnology's November issue, indicate the research could help in overcoming some major hurdles that discouraged the use of carbon nanotubes for electronic devices, sensors, displays & computer chips.
Carbon nanotubes possess new properties that can be beneficial for filters, electromagnetics & even for making strong clothing.
Computer chip manufacturers foresee nanotubes as the natural alternatives to metal wires to boost computing power & reduce the chip components' dimensions to a nano or molecular scale, i.e. less than hundred nanometers in size.
As per Saikat Talapatra of Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center, Carbon nanotubes present a promising outlook in upcoming fields like biotechnology & electronics. Since many uses of carbon nanotubes require superiorly conductive carbon nanotubes, fair amount of contact between metal surface & nanotubes becomes essential.
In first method, a carbon rich compound is heated at extreme temperatures to vaporize the material. As system cools down, carbon directly deposits metal surface as 'nanotube arrays'.
There're many potential benefits of directly creating carbon nanotubes on metals through this process, added Talapatra. Nanotubes are attached to the metallic surface with better strength; good electric contact is there between the 2 materials; & nanotubes could be created on metallic surfaces of almost all shape & size.
"This nanotechnology innovation highlights substantial investments that are being made for development of nanotechnology by USA. The U.S. Nanotechnology market is predicted to reach US$ 3.3 Billion by 2008 and cross US$ 19.8 Billion by 2013 showing a strong growth," said an analyst at RNCOS.
Researchers also demonstrated that chemical vapor deposition technique could create nanotube electrodes to be used for 'super capacitors' devices, which possessed higher energy densities than normal capacitors (used for storing energy in electric circuits). These can, particularly, be beneficial for hybrid cars & can act as an additional storage for battery-operated vehicles.
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