Carbon Nanotube Materials A Family of Forms

Vesselin Shanov, Chaminda Jayasinghe, Wondong Cho, Rajiv Venkatasubraman, Rutvij Kotecha, David Mast, Mark Haase, Noe Alvarez, Pravahan Salunke, Anshuman Sowani,

Weifeng Li, Brad Ruff, Ge Li, Arvind Krishnaswamy, Doug Hurd, Larry Schartman, Mark J. Schulz

UC NANOWORLD Laboratories

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH www.min.uc.edu/nanoworldsmart

October 24, 2012

Materials Processing – Molecules to Materials Nanotube Materials

Forest or array

Winding ribbon

Ribbon

Yarn Nano Volleyball Net

Thread 2-Ply Yarn

Patterning Nanotube Arrays

• High performance applications (optics, telescoping, long CNT,

spinable CNT, devices, 3-D Arrays, others) will eventually require

patterning CNT

• Our approach to pattern arrays: NIL

• Potential to control catalyst position, and size, nanotube size,

diameter, number of walls, length, collimation, maybe chirality?

170nm resist layer 80nm imprinted depth

substrate

Cross-Section Top View

40nm

Robot with Rotation Tool for Spinning

Thread (20 micron diameter) with a thin polymer coating

Nano-Thread (800 nm diameter)

Nano-Thread (300 nm diameter)

Ni Nanowires at Different Magnifications

Iron Nanotubes

magnetite (Fe3O4), Vijay Varadan, U. Arkansas

Why do carbon nanomaterials have such extreme properties?

1. CNT shells are one atomic layer thick, which means their density is low

2. The strong triple sp2 bonding of carbon combined with the hexagonal tessellated

architecture of nanotubes provides high strength

3. The hexagon structure is the highest order polygon that tessellates and can

be considered as a fundamental platform from which to design new atomic

layer compounds and hybrid inorganic materials with 1, 2 or 3-D

dimensionality

Tessellation: Tiling a floor with shapes that do not overlap or have gaps.

a tessellation of triangles

a tessellation of squares

a tessellation of hexagons

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=3-

d+tessellation&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=UcNGT

722NY2XhQeS2oywDg&ved=0CFEQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=882

Developing a Pilot Microfactory to Build Nanorobot Devices

•To build small mechanical and electrical parts and micro-devices •Robot tools grip, apply force, twist, measure and build smaller robots, and they build then smaller robots (collaborating with Dr. Krzysztof Koziol)

Kleindiek Robot tools

CNT Thread for Carbon Electric Motors & Devices

(a)

Carbon electromagnetics: (a) whirling CNT yarn, the first demonstration of the

principle of a carbon electric motor; (b) high current density of CNT yarn; (c)

high electromagnetism of CNT yarn coil; (d) coil force.

Figure 5. Solenoid magnetic force.

1mm 1mm

0.1mm

3

22

3

22

49

1

62

))1(()1

())1(()1

(4

))1(()( dja

N

iLdja

N

iLL

djaIBF

i

Layjj

(b) (c)

(d)

Improving the electrical conduction of CNTs

• Possible approaches: 1-Improve CNT quality, 2-All metallic CNT, 3-

Dense CNT, 4-Doping.

Consider dense CNT operating at high temperature:

The Acnt and Acs in a MWCNT are:

Acs; Cross Sectional

Area of CNT Five Wall CNT

L

RANcnt

tiDDDtA oi

N

i

iNcnt 21;

1

DWCNT Acnt; Area of CNT

ends for conduction

Manufacturing Long Carbon Nanotubes • Horizontal growth

Manufacturing Long Carbon Nanotubes

Catalyst Agglomeration

T

B

Manufacturing Long Carbon Nanotubes

1. Mechanical: MWCNT

telescoped using AFM tip

(by Alex Zettl)

Approaches to Telescope Nanotubes

3. Hydraulic/pneumatic: MWCNT

telescoped using pressure (outer

tubes opened at ends, inner tubes

closed)

2. Electrical: MWCNT

telescoped using electrical

charge repulsion/attraction

- +

+ +

p

Epoxy Iron

Telescoping Nanotube Array with Feedback Control

Kp λ/2-lo + -

G

Lcnt

Feedback Control System

Telescoping

Nanotube

Array

Active Material Surface

Wave Sensor to Measure Freq. and Compute λ/2

Flexible Skin

Kv

V

A CNT Array that can be spun into yarn

UC Spinning machine (built by Mr. Doug Hurd, Dr. Nilanjan Mallik)

Spinning from a wafer

Ref. R.H. Baughman,

C. Cui, A.A. Zakhidov,

Z. Iqbal, J.N. Barisci,

G.M. Spinks, G.G.

Wallace, A. Mazzoldi,

D. DeRossi, A.G.

Rinzler, O. Jaschinski,

S. Roth, M. Kertesz,

Science 284 (1999).

Long CNT tiles that cannot be spun into yarn using the

existing spinning machine

• CNT Panels grown using a mask or NIL

• 1.5 cm height, 5 cm width, thickness 50 nm - mm

Gas flow between

panels increases

the growth rate

Centimeter

height

Gas

flow

Thin Panels

Thick Panels

Medium Panels

Posts of Nanotubes

Forms of Nanotubes

Experiments to Control the Geometry of Nanotube

Arrays

• A family of forms of nanotube materials is being developed

• When the fundamental technology for synthesis is optimized the

technology will be turned over to industry for scale up

Summary and Conclusions

Sponsors

• NSF ERC for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials (EEC-0812348),

Program Officer Dr. Leon Esterowitz

• NSF SNM GOALI: Carbon Nanotube Superfiber to Revolutionize

Engineering Designs (1120382), Program Officers Dr. Bruce Kramer,

Dr. Grace Wang

• Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations

expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not

necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation

• Office of Naval Research, Program Officer Dr. Ignacio Perez

• General Nano LLC, President Mr. Joe Sprengard

• University of Cincinnati

Collaborators, Affiliates

• Atkins & Pearce

• Parker Hannifin

• Boeing

• General Nano

• Interstellar Technologies

• Innovent Scientific Solutions

• Odysseus Technologies