carbon nanotubes and their economic feasibility

Group Members Chia Ding Shan A0098525U Dhanasekar Rajagopal A0103317W Du Yao A0040527N Feng Houyuan A0098526R Han Jiong A0082244L Vishwak Vajendar A0102831W Wu Runqi A0040053B Zhang Zhengchang A0104438L

For information on other new technologies that are becoming economically feasible, see http://www.slideshare.net/Funk98/presentations

• Introduction to Carbon Nanotubes

• Growth Drivers Development of Synthesis methods

Advancement in CNTs materials

Increasing Market demands

• Entrepreneurial opportunities Synthetic Skin

Self Healing

• Q & A

• Introduction to Carbon Nanotubes

• Growth Drivers Development of Synthesis methods

Advancement in CNTs materials

Increasing Market demands

• Entrepreneurial opportunities Stretchable Artificial Skin

Self Healing

• Q&A

What is Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon with a

cylindrical nanostructure.

Diameter: from less than 1 nm up to 50 nm.

Length: few microns to few centimeters.

Wang, X., et al, "Fabrication of Ultralong and Electrically Uniform Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Clean Substrates". Nano Letters 9 (2009): 3137–3141 http://www.nanocyl.com/CNT-Expertise-Centre/Carbon-Nanotubes

Types of CNTs SWNT

Wrapping of a 2-D graphene sheet into a seamless cylinder.

Characterized by how it is wrapped, and varies in properties, e.g. metallic vs. semiconducting

MWNT

Multiple rolled layers of graphene.

Russian Doll model: multiple concentric cylinders

Parchment model: single sheet rolled in around itself

http://www.nanocyl.com/CNT-Expertise-Centre/Carbon-Nanotubes

Mechanical Properties of CNTs

The strongest and most flexible molecular material

Young’s modulus (E) of over 1 TPa vs. 70 GPa for Aluminum, 700 GPa for C-fiber

Strength to weight ratio 500 times greater than Al

Maximum Strain ~10% , much higher than any material

http://www.nanocyl.com/CNT-Expertise-Centre/Carbon-Nanotubes

Conductivity Properties of CNTs Thermal conductivity ~3000 W/m.k in the axial direction

with small values in the radial direction

Electrical conductivity as efficient as that of Copper

Very high current carrying capacity

Excellent field emitter

http://www.nanocyl.com/CNT-Expertise-Centre/Carbon-Nanotubes

• Introduction to Carbon Nanotubes

• Growth Drivers Development of Synthesis methods

Advancement in CNTs materials

Increasing Market demands

• Entrepreneurial opportunities Synthetic Skin

Self Healing

• Q & A

CNTs Growth Drivers

Development of Synthesis

methods

Advancement in CNTs

materials

Increasing Market

Demand

Existing Synthesis Methods for CNTs

1991

1995

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Under development

Current standard

1995

Jan Prasek et. al., Methods for carbon nanotubes synthesis—review, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 15872

Extensive Research Extensive research has been performed during the past 2

decades

Carbon Nanotubes and Their Applications, Qing Zhang, ed. 2012.

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Nanotechnology by Ben Rogers, Sumita Pennathur, Jesse Adams, CRC Press, 2011 New Method for Continuous Production of Carbon Nanotubes, Science Daily, Apr. 10, 2012z

Improved CVD: HiPco

1991: Arc D Discharge 1995: Laser Ablation 1993: Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD)

CNTs Price vs. Synthesis Methods New Synthesis methods lead to significant price drop

Improved CVD: Continuous

Rotation Reactor

Improved CVD: CoMoCAT

CNTs Growth Drivers

Development of Synthesis

methods

Advancement in CNTs

materials

Increasing Market

Demand

Improvements in CNTs and its Impact Improvement Property Performance

improved Potential Application

Carbon Nanobud Field Emission Characteristics

3X reduced Field threshold

Electronics – FET

Graphenated Carbon nanotubes

Energy Storage 7.3X increase in Capacitance/unit area

Supercapacitor

Doped Carbon nanotubes

Energy Storage Triple capacity in batteries

Batteries

Carbon Nanobud Synthesis of both CNTs and Fullerenes

Exhibit properties of both CNTs and Fullerenes

Improved field emission compared to SWNT or Fullerenes alone

Field thresholds of about 0.65 V/μm than compared to 2 V/μm for SWNT

Synthesis of Fullerenes with CNTs

Nasibulin, Albert G. et al. (2007). "A novel hybrid carbon material". Nature Nanotechnology

Graphenated Carbon Nanotubes Hybrid structure of Graphene foliates grown along the length

of aligned CNTs

Specific capacitance increased by 5.4 times of CNTs’

7.3 times increase in capacitance per unit area

Potential application in supercapacitors

Hsu, Hsin-Cheng, et. al, (2012), "Stand-up structure of graphene-like carbon nanowalls on CNT directly grown on polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber paper as supercapacitor". Diamond and Related Materials 25: 176–9

Synthesis of Graphenated CNTs

Nano-scale Supercapacitor

Doped Carbon Nanotubes

Improve CNTs properties by doping (e.g. Nitrogen, Boron, Silicon, Iodine etc)

Doping of Nitrogen with CNTs increases the capacity by providing more favorable binding

Boron doped nanotubes also increases the batteries with triple capacity

Doping of Nitrogen in CNTs

Nitrogen-Doped Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes for Lithium Storage with Extremely High Capacity Weon Ho Shin, Hyung Mo Jeong, et. al ,2012, 2283-2288 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/14/doped_nanotubes_lithium_battery/

CNTs Growth Drivers

Development of Synthesis

methods

Advancement in CNTs

materials

Increasing Market

Demand

Expanding Global CNTs Market The global CNTs industry turned over : $668.3 million in 2010

MWNTs $631.5 million & SWNTs $36.8 million

Forecast to grow to $1.1 billion by 2016 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.5%.

Global carbon nanotubes market - industry beckons, Vivek Patel, 2011 http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=23118.php

High Market Demand

http://www.electronics.ca/presscenter/articles/1204/1/Market-Applications-of-Carbon-Nanotubes/Page1.html

Current Market Applications of CNTs Most of the CNTs applications are

still in R&D phase

http://www.electronics.ca/presscenter/articles/1204/1/Market-Applications-of-Carbon-Nanotubes/Page1.html

Huge potential

in the future

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CNTs Price vs. Production Capacity Market

Demands

Higher Production

Capacity Price Drop

Nanotechnology by Ben Rogers, Sumita Pennathur, Jesse Adams, CRC Press, 2011 New Method for Continuous Production of Carbon Nanotubes, Science Daily, Apr. 10, 2012 Michael De Volder et al, 2013. Carbon Nanotubes: present and future commercial applications, Science 339 (535)

Most of the CNTs applications are in Research phase and need market application

Improving production process Increase production

efficiency

Lower cost for more commercialized applications

Challenges Ahead

• Introduction to Carbon Nanotubes

• Growth Drivers Development of Synthesis methods

Advancement in CNTs materials

Increasing Market demands

• Entrepreneurial Opportunities Synthetic Skin

Self Healing

• Q & A

Wide Range of Applications for CNTs

http://www.cnanotechnology.com/

Wide range of unique properties

Breakthrough performance improvements in various applications

CNTs-based Synthetic Skin (Introduction Video)

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJHZylgWeJw

Click to Play video

Attributes of CNTs in Synthetic Skin

http://www.cnanotechnology.com/

PROPERTIES OF HUMAN SKIN PROPERTIES OF CNTs SYNTHETIC SKIN

Strength and Elasticity Mechanically resistant but elastic at the same time1

Sensitivity Thermally and Electrically conductive1,2

Self Healing Self – Healing process of CNTs induced by electronic excitations2

Biological structure Carbon-based (Biocompatibility)3

Similarities between Human Skin and CNTs-based Synthetic Skin

Transparent and Elastic conductors are essential components of electronic and optoelectronic devices that facilitate human interaction and biofeedback

Conducting thin CNTs films with these properties could lead to the development of skin-like sensors Stretch reversibly

Sense pressure (not just touch)

Flexible - Bend into hairpin turns

Integrate with collapsible, stretchable and mechanically robust displays and solar cells

Wrap around non-planar and biological surfaces such as skin and organs, without wrinkling.

CNTs-based Synthetic Skin

CNTs-based Synthetic Skin Strain and Electrical conductivity

Evidence that the electronic properties of the device are undamaged after significant repeated physical deformations ) of sprayed coated SWNT on PDMS thin films.

The images show the device unstrained (the LCR meter displays a capacitance of 5.3 pF), strained to 50%, in a direction 45° diagonal with respect to the grid of CNTs lines (6.5 pF), and returned to 0% strain (5.5 pF).

The difference between capacitances recorded before and after stretching is within the noise level of the device*

STRAIN (%)

CAPACITANCE Pico farad (pF)

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50 6.5

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*0.2 difference

CNTs-based Synthetic Skin Strain and Electrical Resistivity (Sensitivity)

Graph A : Changes in Resistance versus time in response to 4 cycles of stretching Graph B: Resistance versus number of stretches over 12,500 cycles of stretching to 25%

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Attributes of CNTs in Synthetic Skin

http://www.cnanotechnology.com/

Self Healing

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(a) Number of atoms surrounding the damage* versus time at temperature 3000 K. The time span between two adjacent points is 1 ps. (b)–(g) Structural evolution during the self-healing procedure. * Lesser number of surrounding atoms implies damage site is getting smaller / healing.

Self-Healing Properties of CNTs by Heat treatment

• When a vacancy (defect) happens in the nanotube, the three neighbor atoms can create new bonding. A new bonding takes about 200 femtoseconds* after atoms are excited1.

*A femtosecond is the SI unit of time equal to 10−15 of a second

Self-Healing Properties of CNTs by Excitation

Challenges Ahead

Improving mechanical properties Better durability

Improving biocompatibility / biostability

Safe – Human Trials Electrical stimulations to relay to human nervous system.

Improving self healing methods

Faster healing methods “Natural” healing methods Room temperature healing Healing in the absence of light or electric excitations Healing in the absence of catalysts