Carbon nanotube sheets or films, also known as 'buckypaper', have been proposed for use in actuating, structural and filtration systems, based in part on their unique and robust mechanical properties. Computational modeling of such a fibrous nanostructure is hindered by both the random arrangement of the constituent elements as well as the time- and length-scales accessible to atomistic level m...

The elastic moduli of polymer-carbon nanotube composites are examined by molecular dynamics simulations of a single-walled carbon nanotube embedded in polyethylene. The overall system is modeled with a many-body bond order potential due to Brenner. Alternatively, only the carbon nanotube is modeled with Brenner’s potential and the polyethylene matrix is modeled by a united-atom potential. For t...

objective(s): this paper describes a selective and sensitive biosensor based on the dissolution and aggregation of aptamer wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes. we report on the direct detection of aptamer–cocaine interactions, namely between a dna aptamer and cocaine molecules based on near-infrared absorption at λ807. materials and methods: first a dna aptamer recognizing cocaine was non-co...

The structure of carbon nanotubes is recognized to be suitable for medical applications such as encapsulating drugs or genes with the aim of targeted deliveries. In this regard, knowing about the suction force exerted on a nonoscale object which is supposed to be sucked into a carbon nanotube, and whether the object is accepted by the carbon nanotube are important issues to be studied. In this ...

Preferential growth of pure single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) over multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was demonstrated at low temperature by water plasma chemical vapor deposition. Water plasma lowered the growth temperature down to 450 degrees C, and the grown nanotubes were single-walled without carbonaceous impurities and MWNTs. The preferential growth of pure SWNTs over MWNTs was pr...

Although the thermal properties of millimeter-sized carbon nanotube mats and packed carbon nanofibers have been readily measured, measurements for a single nanotube are extremely difficult. Here, we report a novel method that can reliably measure the thermal conductivity of a single carbon nanotube using a suspended sample-attached T-type nanosensor. Our experimental results show that the therm...

We demonstrate the efficient chemical vapor deposition synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes where the activity and lifetime of the catalysts are enhanced by water. Water-stimulated enhanced catalytic activity results in massive growth of superdense and vertically aligned nanotube forests with heights up to 2.5 millimeters that can be easily separated from the catalysts, providing nanotub...

This paper investigates the effective wall thickness of a single-walled carbon nanotube, a critical quantity for any research in mechanics and property characterization of carbon nanotubes. To this end, the response of a bundle of single-walled carbon nanotubes to external hydrostatic pressure was modeled using the ring theory of continuum mechanics. The model predicted that the equivalent thic...

Self-assembled hierarchical solid surfaces are very interesting for wetting phenomena, as observed in a variety of natural and artificial surfaces. Here, we report single-walled (SWCNT) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) thin films realized by a simple, rapid, reproducible, and inexpensive filtration process from an aqueous dispersion, that was deposited at room temperature by a dry-trans...

A class of peptides from the bombolitin family, not previously identified for nitroaromatic recognition, allows near-infrared fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes to transduce specific changes in their conformation. In response to the binding of specific nitroaromatic species, such peptide-nanotube complexes form a virtual "chaperone sensor," which reports modulation of the peptide second...