Carbon-nanotube metrology

Abstract

Scientific and industrial metrology provided tools for technological growth and innovation, by fostering competitiveness and creating a favorable environment for scientific and industrial development. Every major country has its own metrology institute to support companies in increasing their productivity and the quality of their goods and services. The fast development of carbon-nanotube science and applications urged studies on metrology, standardization and industrial quality control. Development of protocols for the definition of sample parameters like structural metrics, physical properties and stability are important for both research and applications of single-, double- and multiwall carbon nanotubes. This work discusses some of the experimental techniques that are broadly used for carbon-nanotube characterization, including scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy, electron microscopy and diffraction, and optical spectroscopies, from the molecular level to bulk properties, addressing achievements, limitations and directions where further research is needed for the development of standards and protocols for metrology, standardization and industrial quality control of carbon nanotubes.