The Role of Chemistry in History

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Structure

April 24th, 2008 · 1 Comment ·

 

|| INTRODUCTION || DISCOVERY || STRUCTURE || “SMART” CLOTHES ||

|| ELECTRICITY & POWER || CANCER & DISEASE TREATMENT || REFERENCES ||

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  • The structure of carbon nanotubes is strikingly similar to that of diamond, fullerene, and graphite. In fact, carbon nanotubes are simply graphite sheets rolled up into a cylindrical shape as seen below.

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  • Carbon nanotubes are allotropic, meaning that they are a hexagonal network of carbon atoms bonded together.
  • All the bonds between carbon atoms are sp2 hybridized (similar to diamond). This special characteristic gives the nanotube incredible strength for its minuscule size.

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  • Carbon nanotubes were discovered to be 20 times stronger than steel, 17 times stronger than kevlar, and 4 times stronger than spider silk.


Tags: Carbon Nanotubes