Properties
[
edit] Strength
Carbon nanotubes are the strongest and stiffest materials on earth, in terms of
tensile strength and
elastic modulus respectively. This strength results from the covalent sp² bonds formed between the individual carbon atoms. In 2000, a multi-walled carbon nanotube was tested to have a tensile strength of 63
gigapascals (GPa). (This, for illustration, translates into ability to endure weight of 6300 kg on a cable with cross-section of 1
mm2.) Since carbon nanotubes have a low density for a solid of 1.3-1.4 g·cm−3,
[17] its
specific strength of up to 48,000 kN·m·kg−1 is the best of known materials, compared to high-carbon steel's 154 kN·m·kg−1.
Under excessive tensile strain, the tubes will undergo
plastic deformation, which means the deformation is permanent. This deformation begins at strains of approximately 5% and can increase the maximum strain the tube undergo before fracture by releasing strain energy.
CNTs are not nearly as strong under compression. Because of their hollow structure and high aspect ratio, they tend to undergo
buckling when placed under compressive, torsional or bending stress.
Comparison of Mechanical Properties
[23][24][25][26][27][28][29]Material,
Kinetic-->Multi-walled nanotubes, multiple concentric nanotubes precisely nested within one another, exhibit a striking telescoping property whereby an inner nanotube core may slide, almost without friction, within its outer nanotube shell thus creating an atomically perfect linear or rotational bearing. This is one of the first true examples of
molecular nanotechnology, the precise positioning of atoms to create useful machines. Already this property has been utilized to create the world's smallest rotational
motor[30]. Future applications such as a gigahertz mechanical oscillator are also envisaged.
[
edit] Electrical
Because of the symmetry and unique electronic structure of graphene, the structure of a nanotube strongly affects its electrical properties. For a given (n,m) nanotube, if n − m is a multiple of 3, then the nanotube is
metallic, otherwise the nanotube is a
semiconductor. Thus all armchair (n=m) nanotubes are metallic, and nanotubes (5,0), (6,4), (9,1), etc. are semiconducting. In theory, metallic nanotubes can have an electrical current density more than 1,000 times greater than metals such as
silver and
copper.
[
edit] Thermal
All nanotubes are expected to be very good
thermal conductors along the tube, exhibiting a property known as "
ballistic conduction," but good insulators laterally to the tube axis. It is predicted that carbon nanotubes will be able to transmit up to 6000
watts per meter per
kelvin at room temperature; compare this to copper, a metal well-known for its good
thermal conductivity, which only transmits 385 W·m−1·K−1. The temperature stability of carbon nanotubes is estimated to be up to 2800 degrees Celsius in
vacuum and about 750 degrees Celsius in air.
[
edit] Defects
As with any material, the existence of defects affects the material properties. Defects can occur in the form of atomic vacancies. High levels of such defects can lower the tensile strength by up to 85%. Another form of defect that may occur in carbon nanotubes is known as the
Stone Wales defect, which creates a pentagon and heptagon pair by rearrangement of the bonds. Because of the very small structure of CNTs, the tensile strength of the tube is dependent on the weakest segment of it in a similar manner to a chain, where a defect in a single link diminishes the strength of the entire chain.
The tube's electrical properties are also affected by the presence of defects. A common result is the lowered conductivity through the defective region of the tube. Some defect formation in armchair-type tubes (which can conduct electricity) can cause the region surrounding that defect to become semiconducting. Furthermore single monoatomic vacancies induce magnetic properties.
The tube's thermal properties are heavily affected by defects. Such defects lead to
phonon scattering, which in turn increases the relaxation rate of the phonons. This reduces the
mean free path, and reduces the thermal conductivity of nanotube structures. Phonon transport simulations indicate that substitutional defects such as nitrogen or boron will primarily lead to scattering of high frequency optical phonons. However, larger scale defects such as
Stone Wales defects cause phonon scattering over a wide range of frequencies, leading to a greater reduction in thermal conductivity
[31].
[
edit] One-Dimensional Transport
Due to their nanoscale dimensions, electron transport in carbon nanotubes will take place through quantum effects and will only propagate along the axis of the tube. Because of this special transport property, carbon nanotubes are frequently referred to as “one-dimensional” in scientific articles.
[
edit] Toxicity
Determining the toxicity of carbon nanotubes has been one of the most pressing questions in Nanotechnology. Results from various scientific tests on
cells have so far proven confusing, with some results indicating it to be highly toxic and others showing no signs of toxicity.
[32] The best current explanation for these apparently contradictory results is that no two production processes make exactly the same type of CNTs. Some contain measureable levels of impurities such as
cobalt and
nickel which have documented toxicity and which may be the true causes of the effects. Additionally CNTs have a range of physical and chemical properties (e.g., surface area,
zeta potential) that are not often controlled for in toxicology studies. A study led by Alexandra Porter from the
University of Cambridge shows once CNTs are inside the cell, they accumulate in the
cytoplasm and cause cell death, but without rigorous CNT/impurity characterization it is difficult to interpret this result or determine its significance.
[33] A more recent study reveals that carbon nanotubes, when injected in the lungs of mice, are incapable of being disposed of by specialized cells in the lung as these tubes are too large for the cells to engulf, thus leading to constitutive inflammation, a hallmark precancerous symptom. However, the doses required to achieve this response are considered high, or even extreme.
[34]. Moreover, the hydrophobicity of unfunctionalised carbon nanotubes causes agglomeration of tubes into larger bundles or particles and have been (later) attributed to the suffocation of mice in such studies rather than toxic effects. It appears that the length of carbon nanotubes is the critical factor in toxicity or lack of biocompatibility when coupled with the biological (& biochemical) environment, which may improve solubility in aqueous solutions due to protein adsorption to the carbon nanotube surface.
Buckypaper, for example, which is a mat of carbon nanotubes compressed to a paper-like form, has been used successfully for the growth of various cell types without featuring toxic effects.