Rensselaer Magazine, September 2002: At Rensselaer

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Nanotechnology

Stretching Out the Nanotube

For the first time, researchers have created a simplified method for making long, continuous, hair-like strands of carbon nano-tubes that are as much as eight inches in length. This breakthrough, reported in the May 3 issue of Science, is a first step toward creating such products as microcables for electrical devices or mechanically robust electrochemical actuators for artificial muscles.

The researchers from Rensselaer and collaborators at Tsinghua University in Beijing found that chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a widely used technique to grow nanotubes, has a high yield of long strands when a sulfur-containing compound and hydrogen are added to the process.

Researchers have previously created nano-tube fibers with more complex methods, but because CVD is commonly used to make nano-tubes, it would be easily adaptable and more efficient for synthesizing the long strands for practical applications. The new method produced nanotubes that measured 20 centimeters, much longer than conventional nano-tubes, says Pulickel Ajayan, associate professor of materials science and engineering.

“Carbon nanotubes are generally microns in length, which is not long enough for any practical purpose,” Ajayan says. “We have created strands with nearly aligned nanotubes that are as long as 20 centimeters. The nano-tubes are well ordered in these structures and are self-assembled during the growth process, which means we don’t end up with an unusable lump that looks like cooked spaghetti.”

The process could also be an easier alternative to creating high-purity single-walled nano-tube material in general, says Bingqing Wei, a postdoctoral associate of Ajayan’s who came to Rensselaer from Tsinghua University.

Rensselaer Magazine: September 2002
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