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Carbon Nanotubes are amazing materials and they’re a type of cylindrical carbon molecule which has gained the attention of the scientific community because of their physical and chemical properties.
Carbon nanotubes have various uses and can be used in everything from aerospace design, medicine, manufacturing and many other uses. In this article, we will discuss some of the benefits of carbon nanotubes and why we think they will become important in future technology.
Strength
One of the main benefits of using carbon nanotubes is their exceptional strength, they are one of the strongest materials that you can use and their tensile strength is 100 times stronger than steel. Even a small addition of carbon nanotubes to an existing material can improve the strength of the material. Because of the strength of Carbon Nanotubes, they are ideal to be use in the manufacturing and construction industries.
Structures and materials in the above industries are often heavy making them expensive to transport, however, carbon nanotubes could be used to create lightweight structures which would eliminate the problem.
Additionally, the unique structures of carbon nanotubes allow them to withstand high temperatures and conditions making them ideal for industrial applications. Carbon nanotubes can come in single-walled and Multiwalled structures both having their advantages and disadvantages. These are often abbreviated to SWCNTs and MWCNTs.
Electrical conductivity
Another significant advantage of carbon nanotubes is their excellent electrical conductivity. CNTs are excellent conductors of both heat and electricity, making them ideal for use in electronics and energy applications.
In fact, carbon nanotubes have been shown to have a conductivity that is 1000 times greater than copper, while being only a fraction of the weight. This makes them ideal for use in the development of high-performance batteries, supercapacitors, and other energy storage devices.
CNTs have been found to have high optical absorbance and transparency, which makes them attractive for use in the development of sensors and optoelectronic devices. Furthermore, the ability of CNTs to emit light has also been investigated, with researchers exploring the potential use of CNTs in the development of light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Carbon nanotubes in medicine
Carbon nanotubes are being used in the medical industry to deliver medicine and other biomedical applications as they have been shown to have a high infinity for living cells. Carbon nanotubes can also be used to create sensitive biosensors which can detect even the smallest of changes in substances such as proteins and glucose.
Infographic created by RevPart, Industry-Leading Quick-Turn Prototyping ServicesConclusion
Carbon nanotubes are changing the world around and their benefits are already apparent, but with more research and development we could see carbon nanotubes being used more and more in everyday life. We are already seeing nanotubes being used in the automotive industry as silicone is one of the best materials to use for car batteries in terms of energy density but the problem with using silicone in EV batteries is that silicone expands and contracts when it’s charged. This degrades the battery very quickly and as a result, makes it unusable.
Car manufacturers want to use silicone anodes as they cut down on charging time, increase driving range and are cheaper than alternative options but because of this degradation, they can’t be used. However, this is where carbon nanotubes come into play.
Carbon nanotubes can be used to cover the surface of the silicon particles and create highly conductive connections between them. When using carbon nanotubes with silicone it prevents the material from cracking which improves the life cycle to meet current EV manufacturer requirements.
With more research in this area, we can expect to see more EV batteries using carbon nanotubes which will result in better electric vehicle performance which could see more people making the leap from traditional combustion engines to EVs.
