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Nanotube responsive materials

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Abstract

Individual nanotubes made of carbon, boron nitride, iron, silicon, or other materials have properties such as high strength, toughness, electrical and thermal conductivity, and light weight that cannot be matched by conventional materials. Nanotubes also change their properties in response to external fields and change one type of energy into another, which are useful for design. This article explores three main steps in exploiting responsive materials based on nanotubes: nanotube synthesis, macroscale material fabrication, and incorporation into device structures for novel applications. Nanotubes are always synthesized as individual particles in the form of powders, smoke particles, or aligned forests. To be industrially important, nanotubes generally must be processed to form derivative materials such as functionalized/coated powders and forests and macroscale intermediate materials such as sheets, ribbon, and yarn. The processed nanotubes are then used to develop responsive materials and devices that are able to resist, react to, or generate energy from their environment. This article provides background information and ideas on how to develop nanotube responsive materials for everyday use.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Engineering Department, University of Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Chaminda Jayasinghe

  2. School of Dynamic Systems, University of Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Weifeng Li

  3. Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Yi Song

  4. The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, 20064, USA

    Jandro L. Abot

  5. School of Energy, Environmental, Biological and Medical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Vesselin N. Shanov

  6. Center for Advanced Materials and Smart Structures, North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, NC, 27411, USA

    Svitlana Fialkova

  7. Center for Advanced Materials and Smart Structures, North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, NC, 27411, USA

    Sergey Yarmolenko

  8. University of Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Surya Sundaramurthy

  9. Materials Engineering Department, University of Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Ying Chen

  10. Chemical and Materials Engineering Department, University of Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Wondong Cho

  11. General Nano LLC, Cincinnati, OH, 45206, USA

    Ge Li

  12. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, 27411, USA

    Yeoheung Yun

  13. School of Dynamic Systems, University of Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0072, USA

    Mark J. Schulz

Authors
  1. Chaminda Jayasinghe
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  2. Weifeng Li
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  3. Yi Song
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  4. Jandro L. Abot
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  5. Vesselin N. Shanov
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  6. Svitlana Fialkova
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  7. Sergey Yarmolenko
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  8. Surya Sundaramurthy
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  9. Ying Chen
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  10. Wondong Cho
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  11. Supriya Chakrabarti
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  12. Ge Li
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  13. Yeoheung Yun
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  14. Mark J. Schulz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chaminda Jayasinghe.

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Jayasinghe, C., Li, W., Song, Y. et al. Nanotube responsive materials. MRS Bulletin 35, 682–692 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs2010.680

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