D.

Scott Grese Page 1 6/4/2011

IS330
INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Fall Quarter 2009

Carbon Nanotubes

Written by
D. SCOTT GRESE
D. Scott Grese Page 2 6/4/2011

Modern life keeps all of us so busy. We each have to be at work, school, social activities,

doing errands, doctor visits, and dentist appointments. Our society is based on keeping busy,

staying productive, proving your worth, and maintaining that competitive edge. In fact, we are

kept so busy that we hardly notice the elements in our lives that allow us to succeed, the

technologies that are fundamental to our success. Where would we be without electricity, and the

knowledge to use it safely and effectively? Would computers have been created if Johannes

Gutenberg had never created the printing press? How many productive workers and new ideas

would not be around if Alexander Fleming had not discovered Penicillin? What about our

understanding of the production of glass, or the invention of plastic? These are a few examples

of the human ability to harness nature for our own use, and to continually strive to create a better

world through our use of knowledge and technology.

The next innovation in human invention that could carry our species into the next century

may be found in the use of carbon nanotubes. Due to their unique properties and varied possible

applications, these tiny molecules may have much to teach us. In fact, carbon nanotubes may be

one of the most important discoveries of the last century, and could directly influence human

events for decades to come.

There were images of carbon nanotubes possibly as early as the cold war, but it wasn’t

until much later that carbon nanotubes were more closely studied. These small straw-like

molecules are formed when sheets of carbon twist or turn to form different tube shapes.

Although there are several different configurations of these nanomolecules, “an ideal nanotube

can be thought of as a hexagonal network of carbon atoms that has been rolled up to make a

seamless cylinder” (Dresselhaus, 1998). In 1991 this field took a leap forward with the

introduction of a new technology that allowed us to observe these miniature processes up close.
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Called high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, this technology has allowed scientists

to discover the details of their structure and properties. “Three types of nanotubes are possible,

called armchair, zigzag and chiral nanotubes, depending on how the two-dimensional graphene

sheet is ‘rolled up’” (Dresselhaus, 1998), and learning how to recreate and control these shapes

has enabled science to manufacture reliable batches for further study.

IBM was one company on the forefront of the research into this new frontier. IBM was

interested in finding alternatives to silicon for the production of computer hardware. In April of

2001 they achieved the first step in this goal, and were proud to announce that “IBM researchers

have built the world's first array of transistors out of carbon nanotubes” (Chip Evolution, 2001).

Not only had they produced transistors out of this new material, they were “500 times smaller

than today’s silicon-based transistors and are 1,000 times stronger than steel” (Chip Evolution,

2001). Especially in this still early stage of nanotubes and nanotechnology this news was

incredible, and some people saw the implications of the work being done. It had become

common knowledge that if humanity continued to progress in computer technology then we

would reach the physical size limits of silicon, and essentially no longer be able to progress

further. One person with this understanding was Phaedon Avouris, who was the lead researcher

for IBM, and manager of IBM’s Nanoscale Science Research Department. In IBM’s press

release he said, “Our studies prove that carbon nanotubes can compete with silicon in terms of

performance, and since they may allow transistors to be made much smaller, they are promising

candidates for a future nanoelectronic technology” (Chip Evolution, 2001).

Motorola, working closely with Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, was quick

to study the details. In 2003 they researched ways of improving the processes involved in making

nanotubes in order to make this transistor technology more reliable and more cost effective.
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These studies were able to confirm some research statistics about single-walled nanotubes,

including the extremely high strength to weight ratio and highly conductive nature. It was this

research that produced one of the first reliable techniques “using chemical vapor deposition

(CVD) that can position individual single-walled carbon nanotubes at pre-determined locations

on a substrate in a highly parallel manner that is compatible with conventional semiconducting in

nature” (Motorola labs, 2003).

As well as the work being done in Tempe, Motorola also partnered with the University of

Illinois, led by Professor Jian-Min Zuo, in order to get a better look at the details of

nanotechnology. This was no easy feat since the details take place on such a miniscule scale.

What came about was the development of “atomic resolution imaging via a novel electron

diffraction technique…With this technique, researchers can now view CNT’s three

dimensionally with a resolution down to 0.1 nanometer, thus resulting in a very accurate picture

of its structural properties” (Motorola, 2003).

Arizona State and the University of Illinois were not alone in the academic world. Many

other institutions had research going, all of which worked towards a rapid understanding of

carbon nanotubes, and even the quick development of early commercial investments in the

technology. One of the first commercial moves to happen was through a close relationship

between the University of Arizona and the Materials and Electrochemical Research Corp. In

2004 a spin-off company formed called the Tailored Materials Corp. This company used

nanotechnology developed at the UA to create custom orders of double-walled nanotubes for use

in multiple markets. “Compared with older, single-wall nanotube technology, double-wall

nanotubes are longer lasting, more durable devices that use less power” (Tucson welcomes,

2004). Tailored Materials Corp. is a great example of the commercial possibilities of this
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blooming field. With the continued expansion of knowledge and precision in dealing with this

technology companies have been able to provide a highly anticipated and much needed new

resource.

Over the next several years the processes used in the research and development of carbon

nanotubes continued to be refined, and the properties that make carbon nanotubes so unique also

made them more valuable. In 2005 it was already known that the nation’s source of television

was going to be changing. Moving from the traditional analog signals to the modern digital

signals was a move planned in advance, and directly affected the world of nanotechnology with

the creation of a prototype TV screen in 2005. Due to all of the recent improvements in the

technology, it was now possible that high-quality HDTV screens could be made using carbon

nanotubes at a lower cost than other technologies, such as liquid crystal or plasma displays (Field

of beams, 2005). This new HDTV screen used the carbon nanotubes as electron emitters, which

enabled clusters of carbon nanotubes to be used in place of the electron gun used in traditional

CRT-based television technology.

In 2006 carbon nanotubes grabbed the headline again, this time with a possible influence

on the world of battery technology. While the HDTV screens were using carbon nanotubes for

their electron emitting properties, now they may be used as capacitors. Deborah Halber wrote

about the details in her article Researchers fired up over new battery, and explained the basics:

Capacitors store energy as an electric field, making them more efficient than
standard batteries, which get their energy from chemical reactions. Ultracapacitors
are capacitor-based storage cells that provide quick, massive bursts of instant
energy… However, ultracapacitors need to be much larger than batteries to hold the
same charge. (Halber, 2006, para 4)

Ms. Halber continues her article by explaining the exciting changes to this field. With the

invention and understanding of carbon nanotubes and their properties, researchers have
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found a way to effectively shrink the size of these ultracapacitors by using specially

formed, vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes. This has created the possibility

of a new form of energy storage, one that could soon be directly competitive in cost and

size with traditional battery technology. The possibility that carbon nanotubes could have a

drastic effect on batteries could very well change humanity all on its own. The number of

devices that run on batteries increases every year, as does humanity’s dependence on them.

If we can find a battery technology that is a step ahead of our other technology, instead of

staying a step behind as it has been for two hundred years, then other discoveries in almost

every field may well be inevitable.

In fact, the likelihood of having a more sustainable, long-lasting, nano-sized energy

source had an almost direct impact. Around the same time that the battery technology was

announced, a report was released by the National Cancer Institute also caused a stir. This

report, entitled Nanotubes poised to help cancer patients, put forth research about the

possible future of medicine. One of the ideas within the report was the use of

nanomachines to patrol and protect people from within their own immune systems, and to

use the nanomachines as a way of delivering doses of medication directly to affected areas.

While the idea of using miniature robots for the betterment of human health is hardly a

new idea, this report was one of the first that had hard science behind it. One of the main

arguments that these ideas would remain science fiction was the inability of these tiny

machines to use and maintain a power source. Once it had been shown that tiny batteries

capable of holding a charge for a decade could exist, then why not tiny machinery using

those batteries as a power source?

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Although all of these points so far discussed go a long way towards showing the

importance of carbon nanotubes and the validity of continued research, this new field is not

without its risks. In 2003 a report was released showing that carbon nanotubes are highly

toxic. Since then more reports have been released showing that some types of carbon

nanotubes seem to mimic asbestos in their danger to the human body. Since these

components are so small, there is the potential for carbon nanotube samples to become

airborne, and once inhaled they can act as a pollutant and possible poison in the lungs.

After completing testing on mice in 2003 the researchers concluded that “carbon

nanotubes… are much more toxic than carbon black and can be more toxic than quartz,

which is considered a serious occupational health hazard in chronic inhalation exposures”

(Nanotubes highly, 2003).

Although this is a serious cause for caution, it is by no means a reason to halt our

research. In fact, in 2008 an article written by Michael Berger spotlighted the possibility of

solution to this problem. Mr. Berger starts his article by pointing out the dangers inherent

in carbon nanotubes due to their toxicity. The solutions to this problem seem to still be

works in progress, but there are two different promising approaches. Mr. Berger illustrates

this by explaining how “researchers have been experimenting with ways to alleviate the

potential negative side effects of carbon nanotubes either by functionalizing them to make

them more biocompatible or by degrading them after their use” (Berger, 2008). This idea

of degrading the nanotubes stems from the research that shows that the level of toxicity

increases with the size of the individual nanotubes. If we can nail down the correct formula

for the safe production and use of carbon nanotubes, then we can use our knowledge to

open the floodgates of investment and research into new areas of study.
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One area of study that could be revolutionized is solar power. The sun is the

undisputed largest provider of energy on our planet, providing more energy to the planet in

one hour than is needed for each day. We have so far been unable to harness this excess

energy. In fact, only nature has been able to perfect this process with plants and

photosynthesis, but it could be that carbon nanotubes will be the key to unlocking nature’s

masterpiece of energy conversion and storage. Traditional solar power cells used silicon to

convert light into electricity. Now, according to an article in Science, researchers at Cornell

University have found a way to use carbon nanotubes instead. By studying how electricity

moved through a single-walled carbon nanotube, and then experimenting with different

types of light, the researchers were able to make a breakthrough. “Shining lasers of

different colors onto different areas of the nanotube, they found that higher levels of

photon energy had a multiplying effect on how much electrical current was produced”

(Carbon nanotubes, September 2009). They also found that the carbon nanotube forced the

electrons through one by one, and forced a chain reaction of further electric activity by

using the spare light from the lasers while maintaining a consistent temperature. “This is

unlike today’s solar cells, in which extra energy is lost in the form of heat, and the cells

require constant external cooling” (Carbon nanotubes, September 2009).

Solar cells, while they may create a revolution in their own industry, are not the

only power source to be directly affected by carbon nanotubes. The basic technology

behind proton exchange membrane fuel cells has been around for a century, but the

extreme high cost of production, along with safety concerns, has prohibited expansion of

this green energy source. Recently, information from Arizona State University has been

released that gives us hope of reducing the costs. One reason for the high cost is the use of
D. Scott Grese Page 9 6/4/2011

platinum-based catalysts. Professor Arunachalanadar Madakannan has been working with

his graduate students to perfect a new approach of how to place the platinum with the help

of carbon nanotubes. Speaking about this, Professor Madakannan said that “this modified

process saves about 10 to 15 percent of the cost compared to what exists today, without

sacrificing any power output” (Carbon nanotubes, June 2009).

Another recent step forward was taken by Rice University. Researchers there

announced earlier this year that they have discovered a breakthrough methodology for

producing carbon nanotubes in bulk fluids. In an article written by Tina Casey, this new

method is explained further. “Rice’s new nanotube ‘stew’ could spur the inexpensive mass

production of carbon nanotube-based products, much like the plastic industry employed

bulk loads of melted polymers as a cheap base for making everything from medical

equipment to polyester shirts to plastic bags, and countless other things in between”

(Casey, 2009).

As all of these examples have shown, the possible influences that carbon nanotubes

and related technologies are almost endless. In fact, recent research at the Argonne

National Laboratory in Illinois may have created a way to take waste plastic from all over

the planet, and convert it into carbon nanotubes (Turning waste, 2009). Other possible

applications may include the long-discussed Space Elevator. The idea, where a satellite in

a geo-synchronous orbit with Earth lowers a cable down to the surface to be used as an

earth-to-space elevator, was first envisioned more than a century ago. So far, the only

materials we know of that have a high enough tensile strength to possibly sustain the forces

involved with this construction are carbon nanotubes.

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Anissimov, M. (2009, November 16). Which material has the most tensile strength? Wise Geek.
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strength.htm

Berger, M. (2008, November 10). Biodegradation of carbon nanotubes could mitigate potential
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Carbon nanotubes could make efficient solar cells. (2009, September 11). Science Daily
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Chip evolution: IBM scientists develop breakthrough transistor technology with carbon
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Dresselhaus, M., Dresselhaus, G., Eklund, P., Saito, R. (1998, January 1). Carbon nanotubes.
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Halber, D. (2006, February 8). Researchers fired up over new battery. MIT News. Retrieved
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