Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Films

Industrial Applications of Carbon Nanotubes covers the current applications of carbon nanotubes in various industry sectors, from the military to visual display products, and energy harvesting and storage. It also assesses the opportunities and challenges for increased commercialization and manufacturing of carbon nanotubes in the years ahead. Real-life case studies illustrate how carbon nanotubes are used in each industry sector covered, providing a valuable resource for scientists and engineers who are involved and/or interested in carbon nanotubes in both academia and industry. The book serves as a comprehensive guide to the varied uses of carbon nanotubes for specialists in many related fields, including chemistry, physics, biology, and textiles. Explains how carbon nanotubes can be used to improve the efficiency and performance of industrial products Includes real-life case studies to illustrate how carbon nanotubes have been successfully employed Explores how carbon nanotubes could be mass-manufactured in the future, and outlines the challenges that need to be overcome

In this study, vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube films were grown by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MWCVD). Through controlling the thickness of the iron thin film, carbon nanotubes with different diameters were obtained. When the thickness of the iron layer was reduced to 0.3-0.5 nm, single-wall and double-wall nanotubes were obtained with a high areal density (~ 1012/cm2) and vertical alignment. Scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy were employed to characterize the as-deposited nanotubes. In addition, a systematic study of the internal structure transition of the carbon nanotubes has been conducted and a growth model was proposed in terms of carbon surface and bulk diffusion. The field emission of the carbon nanotube films has also been explored in this study. Different measurement systems including a variable distance field emission system, a field emission imaging system, and a field electron emission system (FEEM) were employed. The effects of the diameter (multi-wall vs single- and double- wall), the adsorbates, and the temperature on the field emission properties of carbon nanotubes have been exhibited. Finally, two processes including hydrogen plasma etching and re-growth were used to treat the as-deposited film, and an increased emission site density was observed for the re-grown carbon nanotube film.

This book introduces a novel ultrasonic nanowelding technology of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to metal electrodes and its application for CNT devices. It will be of interest to graduates, scientists and engineers working on CNTs and related topics.

The accessible compendium of polymers in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)—extremely thin tubes only a few nanometers in diameter but able to attain lengths thousands of times greater—are prime candidates for use in the development of polymer composite materials. Bringing together thousands of disparate research works, Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composites: Manufacture, Properties, and Applications covers CNT-polymers from synthesis to potential applications, presenting the basic science and engineering of this dynamic and complex area in an accessible, readable way. Designed to be of use to polymer scientists, engineers, chemists, physicists, and materials scientists, the book covers carbon nanotube fundamentals to help polymer experts understand CNTs, and polymer physics to help those in the CNT field, making it an invaluable resource for anyone working with CNT-polymer composites. Detailed chapters describe the mechanical, rheological, electrical, and thermal properties of carbon nanotube-polymer composites. Including a glossary that defines key terms, Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composites is essential reading for anyone looking to gain a fundamental understanding of CNTs and polymers, as well as potential and current applications, including electronics (shielding and transparent electrodes), flame retardants, and electromechanics (sensors and actuators), and their challenges.

Chemically-modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit a wide range of physical and chemical properties which makes them an attractive starting material for the preparation of super-strong and highly-conductive fibres and films. Much information is available across the primary literature, making it difficult to obtain an overall picture of the state-of-the-art. This volume brings together some of the leading researchers in the field from across the globe to present the potential these materials have, not only in developing and characterising novel materials but also the devices which can be fabricated from them. Topics featured in the book include Raman characterisation, industrial polymer materials, actuators and sensors and polymer reinforcement, with chapters prepared by highly-cited authors from across the globe. A valuable handbook for any academic or industrial laboratory, this book will appeal to newcomers to the field and established researchers alike.

Written by the most prominent experts and pioneers in the field, this ready reference combines fundamental research, recent breakthroughs and real-life applications in one well-organized treatise. As such, both newcomers and established researchers will find here a wide range of current methods for producing and characterizing carbon nanotubes using imaging as well as spectroscopic techniques. One major part of this thorough overview is devoted to the controlled chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes, covering intriguing applications in photovoltaics, organic electronics and materials design. The latest research on novel carbon-derived structures, such as graphene, nanoonions and carbon pea pods, round off the book.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience. Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.

Individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have exceptional mechanical and electrical properties. However, the transfer of these extraordinary qualities into CNT products, without compromising performance, remains a challenge. This chapter presents an overview of the manufacturing of CNT sheets and buckypaper and also describes research performed at the University of Cincinnati in this field. CNT arrays were grown using the chemical vapor deposition method. Sheets were drawn from the spinnable CNT arrays and characterized using scanning electron microscopy to show the highly unidirectional alignment of the nanotubes in the sheet. The anisotropic morphology of the sheet provides superior properties along one material axis as observed by measuring the tensile strength, electrical resistivity, optical transmittance, and electromagnetic interference shielding properties of the material. Surface modification of aligned multiwall nanotube sheets was carried out via incorporation of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet in the sheet posttreatment process. Helium/oxygen plasma was utilized to produce carboxyl (–COO−) functionality on the surface of the nanotubes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of the functional groups on the nanotube surface. The sheet was further characterized using Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and contact angle testing. Composite laminates made from functionalized CNT sheets showed higher strength than those made with pristine sheets. The effects of plasma power and oxygen concentration were studied in order to determine the best possible parameters for functionalization. Plasma treatment is a useful tool for fast, clean and dry functionalization of CNTs. This study demonstrates the ease of incorporating the plasma tool in the manufacturing process of sheets leading to the production of CNT/polymer composites. Macroscopic structures of nanotubes such as threads and sheets are leading to novel applications.

The downsizing of electronic devices and the consequent increasing power densities pose thermal management challenges for the semiconductor industry. Since the present thermal solutions limit their cooling capacity, developing new cooling methods for electronic devices has become important. This dissertation presents two types of novel methods for heat dissipation from integrated circuits: One is the use of advanced thermal interface materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), to increase heat dissipation between the solid and solid surface, such as a chip and heat sink. The second method is the use of a microjet impingement device to improve heat transfer between a liquid and solid in a heat sink. As advanced interface materials, vertically aligned carbon nanotube films are promising because of their unique mechanical and thermal properties. The first part of the dissertation describes the design, fabrication, and testing of CNTs using resonators to characterize their mechanical properties. Discussed in detail is the preparation of carbon nanotubes using different recipes, resulting in varied thicknesses of single-walled carbon nanotube films and multi-walled carbon nanotube films. The measurements of the resonant frequency shifts due to the presence of the CNT films using a laser Doppler vibrometer system result in extracted moduli of 0.5-220 [Mu]m-thick nanotube films varying from 1 to 370 MPa. To show how the physics between the effective modulus and thickness are connected, an analysis for the height dependence of the modulus is provided. After an image analysis is presented, a nanotube dynamics simulation based on tube properties and film morphology is introduced to predict mechanical properties. In addition to discussing the proposed interface materials, the second part of the dissertation describes the design, fabrication and testing of microjet impingement cooling, which display high heat capacities, as an advanced thermal management solution. The design of single-jet and multi-jet arrays with different numbers of diameters, locations, and spacing is discussed. Specifically, this part demonstrates how the microjet hydrodynamics are quantified using two-dimensional images by [Mu]PIV techniques, enabling the reconstruction of the three-dimensional flow field. The results indicate that CNT films offer a mechanical compliance that is suitable for TIM applications and that the microscale liquid jet devices provide quantified flow physics for heat sink applications.