| Aug 30, 2019 | |
Simple synthesis of seeds for standardised carbon nanotubes(Nanowerk News) Synthesising single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is one of the greatest challenges faced by materials science. They can be synthesised using precursor molecules, so-called seeds, which determine growth. |
|
| However, this synthesis has not been well researched up to now. Researchers at FAU have now developed a method for assembling these complex molecules from a small number of segments. | |
| They have recently published their findings in the journal Nature Communications ("Combinatorial design of molecular seeds for chirality-controlled synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes"). | |
| The idea is that the graphene in carbon nanotubes is rolled up to form a hollow cylinder. Depending on their structure, these tubes have varying electronic properties ranging from conducting to semi-conducting, enabling them to be used in transistors, batteries or screens. | |
| ‘Due to their extraordinary properties, single-wall carbon nanotubes are considered the most promising candidates for making dreams in the field of modern nanotechnology a reality,’ explains Dr. Konstantin Amscharov, Chair of Organic Chemistry II. | |
| However, synthesising several carbon nanotubes with the same structure remains challenging. The only known method of synthesising selected SWCNTs is by epitaxial elongation of ultra-short nanotubes or molecular seeds, which are very difficult to produce. | |
| However, arranging a combination of complimentary segments allows SWNCTs to be synthesised. In a series of experiments, Amsharov successfully synthesised seeds for 21 different types of tubes using only three components. |
| Source: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg | |
|
Subscribe to a free copy of one of our daily Nanowerk Newsletter Email Digests with a compilation of all of the day's news. |