Nanotubes are extremely small cylinders made from sheets of carbon that are only a single molecule in thickness. When rolled into seamless cylinders, the carbon forms a microscopic but very strong fiber that can be manipulated to exhibit many different physical properties.
Nanotube Properties
Depending on their shape, nanotubes can exhibit a variety of properties, including:
- High tensile strength
- Heat conductivity
- Head insulation
- Electrical conductivity
- Electrical insulation
- SemiconductivityNanoword.net: Nanotube
References
Fast Facts
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Made molecule-thick sheets of interlocked carbon atoms
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Diameters are measured in nanometers (one billionth of a meter)
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As fibers, exhibit high stiffness and tensile strengthNanoword.net: Nanotube
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Exhibit different physical properties when arranged in different shapes
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Can be made out of a single tube (single-walled) or many coaxial tubes inserted into one another (multi-walled)Nanoword.net: Nanotube
