2006-10-10 09:52:10 · 6 answers · asked by s m 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
I disagree with the respondent who said they aren't used for anything. I know of at least one application... I used them to complete my thesis! There is a really cool new class of materials called photonic crystals. They are the photon (light) analog of what a semiconductor is for electrons. To create a photonic crystal, you need to fabricate a periodic dielectric structure on the same wave scale as the frequency of light you want to scatter. Thus for visible light, you need a structure far smaller than a micron, and you are in the nano-technology range. With the right structure, the crystal produces a photonic band gap, a range of forbidden frequencies similar to the electronic band gap in a semiconductor. This is an AMAZING property!
Nanotubes can be arranged in these kinds of periodic structures and used to created two-dimensional photonic crystals. Here are a few links if you want to geek out a bit...
http://www.nanotechweb.org/articles/news/1/12/3/1
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14514280
2006-10-10 16:34:59 · answer #1 · answered by nice2mice 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Carbon nanotubes have potential to be used as a reinforcing agent in composite materials.
2006-10-10 20:19:16 · answer #2 · answered by aedesign 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi. They are working on nanotube based transistors and superconduction. Imagine a circuit with no resistance that could switch or amplify?
2006-10-10 18:04:06 · answer #3 · answered by Cirric 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Possible applications: manipulating microscaled structures, flat panel displays, etc.
2006-10-10 17:50:41 · answer #4 · answered by Esmeralda 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So far nothing. They are still experimental and have not been applied for use in any regular way.
2006-10-10 16:55:03 · answer #5 · answered by Blunt Honesty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nanosphers are used in liquid hydrogen storage for future cars but it already exists
2006-10-10 17:47:38 · answer #6 · answered by koki83 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋