. Space Industry and Business News .




.
TECH SPACE
New hybrid carbon material discovered
by Staff Writers
Aalto, Finland (SPX) Sep 23, 2011

Nanoribbons can be either metallic or semiconductor depending on their width and type. Interestingly, SWNTs can also be metallic, semiconducting (depending on their chirality) or insulating when chemically modified.

New hybrid carbon material, which combines both graphene and SWNTs, Graphene Nanoribbons encapsulated into Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes have been discovered by researchers from Aalto University (Finland) and Umea University.

Carbon nanotubes and graphene materials have attracted enormous interest from a broad range of specialists.

We came up with the idea to create a novel hybrid material, which combines two most fascinating carbon nanomaterials - single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene, says Doctor Albert Nasibulin from Aalto University.

SWNTs have a hollow space inside, which was used in this study as an 1-dimensional chemical reactor. An intriguing property of this space is that chemical reactions occur differently compared to the bulk 3D conditions.

Large polyaromatic hydrocarbon molecules (coronene and perylene), which can be imagined as small pieces of graphene, were used as building blocks to produce long and narrow graphene nanoribbons inside the nanotubes.

It was found that the shape of encapsulated graphene nanoribbons can be modified by using different kinds of polyaromatic hydrocarbon molecules.

Nanoribbons can be either metallic or semiconductor depending on their width and type. Interestingly, SWNTs can also be metallic, semiconducting (depending on their chirality) or insulating when chemically modified.

This creates enormous potential for a wide range of applications: Now we can prepare GNR@SWNT in all possible combinations. For example, metallic nanoribbon inside insulating nanotube can be considered as the thinnest insulated nanowire.

Nanoribbons can be used directly inside of SWNTs to generate light (e.g. as light emitting diodes), which will easily go through nanotubes and GNRs and by using of existing energy barrier will became a nano-lamp.

Semiconducting nanoribbons can be used for transistor or solar cell applications. Metalli-metallic combination is in fact a new kind of coaxial nanocables (widely used as transmitters of radio signals) in nanosize since the nanoribbons are not connected with nanotubes due to hydrogen atoms, which occupy all the edges of nanoribbons.

Precise control of the width and angle of the graphene nanoribbons will help assembly materials based on graphene with strict control of the band gap. Such control is not possible for a macroscopic graphene, obtained by traditional technology, says Dr. Ilya Anoshkin.

The method of GNR@SWNT synthesis is very simple, easily scalable and allows to obtain almost 100% filling of tubes with nanoribbons. As it follows from theoretical results included in the paper, graphene nanoribbons should keep their unique properties inside of nanotubes while protected from environment by encapsulation and aligned within bundles of SWNTs.

Related Links
Aalto University
Space Technology News - Applications and Research




 

.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries








. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



TECH SPACE
Researchers make visible the structure of the smallest crystals
Mainz, Germany (SPX) Sep 22, 2011
A radical new way of making structures visible at the nano level has been developed at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). This new method makes it possible to determine with precision the arrangement of atoms and molecules in a diverse range of materials from cement to pharmaceuticals. The procedure, which is still in its infancy, comes from the field of electron microscopy and can resol ... read more


TECH SPACE
NASA says satellite will hit Earth Sept 23 US time

Ariane 5 launches SES-2 satellite with chirp hosted payload on board

PlusComms to Create a Global Space Network

NASA to Demonstrate Communications Via Laser Beam

TECH SPACE
Russia launches military satellite after delay

Raytheon Fields First AEHF Satellite Communications Terminals to Tactical Units

Harris unveils new systems

Boeing Receives Additional Wideband Global SATCOM Orders

TECH SPACE
Ariane 5 marks fifth launch for 2011

Countdown to first Soyuz launch at Kourou under way

Ariane rocket launches satellites after strike delay

Double prime for Astrium on next Ariane launch

TECH SPACE
Anger as GPS drives tourists to Hollywood icon

Swedish daycare to test GPS for tracking kids

Honeywell Unveils New Version of ViewPoint

Russia set to launch Glonass-M satellite on Oct. 1

TECH SPACE
Painting The Skies Green Over Santa Rosa

Airbus aims to dominate China market

IATA ups 2011 airlines profit outlook, 2012 weak

Asia short on pilots: Boeing

TECH SPACE
Scientists play ping-pong with single electrons

Samsung starts new chip line to boost flash memory

RIM shares fall on disappointing results

RIM shares fall on disappointing results

TECH SPACE
Russia may launch its first Earth remote sensing satellite in 2012

Astrotech Subsidiary Wins Contract for NASA Mission

Japanese meteorological firm to launch satellite to track Arctic sea ice

ERS satellite missions complete after 20 years

TECH SPACE
Nitrate levels rising in northwestern Pacific

China shuts lead plants on pollution fears

Mathematician fights Bucharest's 'cultural parricide'

Humanity falls deeper into ecological debt: study


Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News
.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement