Let me try to explain the characteristics of this material in simple and vivid language:
It is mainly composed of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagon, forming a coaxial circular tube with several to dozens layers. As shown in figure 1, the layers keep a fixed distance, about 0.34nm, and the diameter is generally 2-20 nm, which is a bit like the snack "Long Nose King" eaten as a child. You can also think of it as rolled graphene, just like a Shandong pancake (graphene), which becomes a "carbon nanotube" after being rolled up.
Italics are extended reading, and children can skip it: carbon nanotubes are not always straight, but there are convex and concave phenomena in some areas, which is due to the appearance of pentagons and heptagons in the process of hexagonal weaving. Besides hexagons, pentagons and heptagons also play an important role in carbon nanotubes. According to the different orientation of carbon hexagon along the axial direction, it can be divided into three types: sawtooth, armchair and spiral. Among them, spiral carbon nanotubes have chirality, while zigzag and armchair carbon nanotubes have no chirality. Chirality means that something looks the same as your left hand and right hand, but it is actually different. Their relationship is mirror symmetry.
Because of their hexagonal structure, carbon nanotubes have very high physical hardness, which is equivalent to that of diamonds, but they have ductility and flexibility that diamonds do not have. It is like all carbon objects: it can conduct electricity, and this material is very light because of its hollow structure.
Carbon nanotubes can be widely used in various fields because of their special structures. I believe there are still many applications that have not yet been developed.
In this paper, I just want to briefly talk about a few applications that have impressed me and have been implemented: as we all know, after the integrated circuit reaches the size of 7NM, it can no longer be thin, and it is urgent to replace it with a new material in order to continue to adapt to Moore's law. Although we have solutions such as photon, quantum and brain like computing, these technologies are not only expensive, but also harsh in use conditions, so they cannot be widely used in mass products.
At this time, the appearance of carbon nanotube materials is tantamount to sending charcoal in the snow.
Moreover, carbon is easier to be integrated into human body, because human beings are carbon-based organisms, and the chips made of this material are not prone to rejection after being implanted into human body. By then, humans will probably have a second brain. Maybe in a few decades, we don't even need to wear Google glasses (because the chip has been implanted in the human body), which is equivalent to bringing a small secretary+think tank with us. The luminous superpower of this new human being is that the average IQ is only 100 now. The education industry is also facing a major reshuffle, because human beings no longer need to remember, and the ability to sort and index will play a more important role. That is, the ability to know how to find answers.