NanoScienceWorks

Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have produced a roadmap that can guide scientists on how to design and build graphene-based nanostructures that can be customized for applications in electronics, photovoltaics and other areas.

Yarns made from carbon nanotubes are the power behind a new generation of artificial muscles developed by an international team of researchers from Australia, Canada, Korea and the U.S. The work could lead to low-cost, simple-to-produce novel nanomotors for a wide range of applications, according to the researchers.

Discovered in the twentieth century, carbon nanotubes (CNT) were an integral part of science and industry by the beginning of the twenty first century, revolutionizing chemistry, physics, and materials science. More recent advances in carbon nanotube production methods have resulted in a tremendous push to incorporate CNTs into polymer matrices. Although many advances have been made, two major obstacles continue unresolved: the enhancement of interfacial adhesion between CNTs and polymer matrix, and the improvement of dispersion of CNTs in polymers.