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This chapter is intended to introduce Carbon Nano Tubes and its Strain sensing
capabilities.

1.1 Introduction to Carbon Nano Tubes (CNT)

Carbon Nano Tubes(CNT) were first discovered in 1991 by Iijima ,they are basically
allotropes of carbon molecules which are formed in shapes of long cylindrical
structures at microscopic level. Their name is derived from their size, since the
diameter of a nanotube is on the order of a few nanometres while they can be up to
several millimetres in length. [10]
There are two main types of nanotubes: single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) and
multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs). ). Diameters of SWNTs and MWNTs are typically
0.8 to 2 nm and 5 to 20 nm, respectively, although MWNT diameters can exceed
100 nm. CNT lengths range from less than 100 nm to 0.5 mm[11].

1.1.1

Single Walled Nanotubes(SWNT)

The Single Walled Nanotubes are formed by rolling the Graphene molecule layers
into long cylindrical shaped tubes

1.1.2

Multi Walled Nanotubes(MWNT)

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1.5 APPLICATIONS OF CNT

1.5.1 Composite materials
1.Mixtures
MWNTs were first used as electrically conductive fillers in plastics, at concentrations
range of 0.01 - 10 percent by weight (wt %).In the automotive industry, CNT
plastics are used in electrostatic-assisted painting of mirror housings, as well as fuel
lines and filters that dissipate electrostatic charge.

For load-bearing applications, CNT powders are mixed with polymers or precursor
resins to increase stiffness, strength and toughness. CNT-polymer contacts can
increase material damping, enhancing sporting goods, including tennis racquets,
baseball bats and bicycle frames.

CNT resins enhance fiber composites, including wind turbine blades and hulls for
maritime security boats that are made by enhancing carbon fiber composites with
CNT-enhanced resin. Applications under investigation include lightning-strike
protection, deicing, and structural health monitoring for aircraft.
2.Yarns
CNT yarns and laminated sheets made by direct chemical vapor deposition (CVD)
are used especially in weight-sensitive applications requiring combined electrical and
mechanical functionality. yarns made of CNTs have stiffness of 357 GPa and a
strength of 8.8 GPa. Uses include superconducting wires, battery and fuel cell
electrodes, self-cleaning textiles, Body armor and combat jackets
.
Alloys
Adding small amounts of CNTs to metals increases tensile strength and modulus
with potential in aerospace and automotive structures. Commercial aluminum-MWNT
composites have strengths comparable to stainless steel (0.7 to 1 GPa) at one-third
the density (2.6 g cm3), comparable to more expensive aluminium-lithium alloys.

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Coatings and Films

CNTs can serve as a multifunctional coating material. For example, paint/MWNT
mixtures can reduce biofouling of ship hulls by discouraging attachment of algae and
barnacles. Mixing CNTs into anticorrosion coatings for metals can enhance coating
stiffness and strength and provide a path for cathodic protection.
2. Microelectronic
SWNTs are attractive for transistors because of their low electron scattering and
their bandgap. SWNTs are compatible with field-effect transistor (FET) architectures
and high-k dielectrics. Despite progress following the CNT transistor's appearance in
1998, including a tunneling FET with a subthreshold swing of <60 mV per decade
(2004), a radio (2007) and an FET with sub-10-nm channel length and a normalized
current density of 2.41 mA m1 at 0.5 V, greater than those obtained for silicon
devices.

Transistors
Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) can operate at room
temperature and are capable of digital switching using a single electron. They are
useful in creation of ultrapure supplies of semiconducting nanotubes to limit circuit
shorts and failures. control over length, chirality and desired alignment, low thermal
budget and high contact resistance.

Thermal management
Large CNT structures can be used for thermal management of electronic circuits. An
approximately 1 mm thick CNT layer was used as a special material to fabricate
coolers, this material has low density, ~20 times lower weight than a similar copper
structure, but with similar cooling properties.[32] In 2013, researchers demonstrated
a Turing-complete prototype micrometer-scale computer.[33] Carbon nanotube
transistors as logic-gate circuits have not reached densities comparable to CMOS
technology.[citation needed]

Solar cells

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Single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) have potential for use in solar panels, due to their
strong ultraviolet/Vis-NIR absorption characteristics. Solar cells developed at the
New Jersey Institute of Technology use a mixture of CNTs and fullerenes to form
snake-like structures. Fullerenes trap electrons while nanotubes conduct them out of
the cell. Carbon nanotubes in photovoltaics
Hydrogen storage.
SWNT's capillary effects can be used to condense gases to high density. This allows
for gases, most notably hydrogen (H2), to be stored at high densities without
condensation into liquid form. Potentially, this method could support a hydrogenpowered car. Current storage methods involve liquifying the gas, which costs 25
45% of the potential energy.

3. Chemical
CNT can be used for desalination. Water molecules can be separated from salt by
forcing them through electrochemically robust nanotube networks with controlled
nanoscale porosity. This process requires far lower pressures than conventional
reverse osmosis methods.
CNT membranes can filter carbon dioxide from power plant emissions.
CNT can be filled with biological molecules, aiding biotechnology.

4. Mechanical[edit]
Oscillators based on CNT have achieved speeds of > 50 GHz.
5. Medicine[edit]
CNTs exhibit dimensional and chemical compatibility with biomolecules, such as DNA
and proteins. CNTs enable fluorescent and photoacoustic imaging, as well as
localized heating using near-infrared radiation.[2]

SWNT biosensors exhibit large changes in electrical impedance and optical

properties, which is typically modulated by adsorption of a target on the CNT
surface. Low detection limits and high selectivity require engineering the CNT
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surface and field effects, capacitance, Raman spectral shifts and photoluminescence
for sensor design. Products under development include printed test strips for
estrogen and progesterone detection, microarrays for DNA and protein detection and
sensors for NO
2 and cardiac troponin. Similar CNT sensors support food industry, military and
environmental applications.[2]

CNTs can be internalized by cells, first by binding their tips to cell membrane
receptors. This enables transfection of molecular cargo attached to the CNT walls or
encapsulated by CNTs. For example, the cancer drug doxorubicin was loaded at up
to 60 wt % on CNTs compared with a maximum of 8 to 10 wt % on liposomes.
Cargo release can be triggered by near-infrared radiation. However, limiting the
retention of CNTs within the body is critical to prevent undesirable accumulation.[2]

CNT toxicity remains a concern, although CNT biocompatibility may be engineerable.

The degree of lung inflammation caused by injection of well-dispersed SWNTs was
insignificant compared with asbestos and with particulate matter in air. Medical
acceptance of CNTs requires understanding of immune response and appropriate
exposure standards for inhalation, injection, ingestion and skin contact. CNT forests
immobilized in a polymer did not show elevated inflammatory response in rats
relative to controls. CNTs are under consideration as low-impedance neural interface
electrodes and for coating of catheters to reduce thrombosis.[2]

Carbon nanotubes are suitable scaffold materials for osteoblast proliferation and
bone formation
6. Microscopic applications
Carbon nano-tweezers
Carbon nanotube tweezers have been fabricated by deposition of MWNT bundles on
isolated electrodes deposited on tempered glass micropipettes. Those nanotube
bundles can be mechanically manipulated by electricity and can be used to
manipulate and transfer micro- and nano-structures.

Nanotube on/off switches

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Researchers have used the electrostatic attraction principle to design on/off switches
for their proposed nanotube Random Access Memory devices. They used carbon
nanotube bundles of ~50 nm in diameter to fabricate. One set of MWNT bundles are
laid on the substrate and another set of bundles is trenched on top of the underlying
nanotube bundles with an air gap in between them. Once electrical bias is applied,
the sets of nanotube bundles are attracted, thus changing the electrical resistance.

7. Macroscopic applications
Nanotube sheet electrodes can be used as actuators. Researchers have
demonstrated the possibility of electrically powered actuators fabricated by carbon
nanotube sheets. Nanotube sheet actuators were shown to operate at low voltages
(~1 Volts or less) and provide higher work densities per cycle than other alternative
technologies

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