Advanced applications of carbon nanotubes in engineering technologies

Abstract

The chapter deals with the advanced applications of materials and devices produced by use of carbon nanotubes in different fields of engineering. Carbon nanotubes are very promising among other carbon nanosized fillers because of their aspect ratio, their enhanced mechanical and electrical properties. Carbon nanotubes are composed by graphene layers rolled as cylinders. Those ones which are constituted by one cylinder are single-walled, while those ones formed by various concentric cylinders are multi-walled. Their costs depend on their purity and their difficulty to be produced. From their discovery in 1991, the production of carbon nanotubes is developing, permitting a decrease of costs and thus a widespread applicability in different fields of technology. For specific purposes, the external surface of carbon nanotubes could be functionalized by using various chemical methods. This approach is sometimes ineffective, because the chemical modifications could affect the enhanced properties of the fillers. The chapter first briefly describes the main characteristics of the different types of carbon nanotubes and then focuses on carbon nanotubes and their possible applications, from the most common ones to the most specific ones. The engineered applications have been divided in advanced materials, electrical devices, thermal and energetic systems, additives for reinforcements, medical apparatuses, biomedical applications, and electromagnetic instruments. The advanced applications of carbon nanotubes in engineering materials and systems presented in the chapter are continuously developing due to the progress of nanomodified technology. Potential challenges in nano-engineering could inspire further improvements in the future.