Due to the varied properties and the scope of application which the CNTs possess, it is of paramount importance that CNTs are produced sufficiently at a competitive cost with the existing technology. The research over two decades, since the discovery of CNTs at Iijima’s Laboratory in 1991, has not helped in reduction of cost or production of CNTs of well-defined properties on a massive scale (Kumar, n.d.). This is mainly because of the complexity in the growth mechanism of CNTs. Extra ordinary properties and applications cannot be unleashed without the fundamental understanding of the growth mechanism of Carbon Nanotubes (Kumar, n.d.). There are several methods to produce Carbon Nanotubes in a laboratory setup. Some of widely used techniques include
1) Arc Discharge method
2) Laser Ablation
3) Chemical Vapor deposition (Ando, 2004)
But here we discuss only Chemical Vapor Deposition which helps for mass production of CNTs. The process discussed in this article is otherwise a mimicking of the Chemical Vapor Deposition.
Chemical Vapor Deposition is the most popular method for producing CNTs the process involved high temperature, hydrocarbon source such as methane which is decomposed in the presence of a metal catalyst (Ando, 2004). There are various types of Chemical Vapor deposition processes, but this method is recognized as Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition which is comparatively less expensive to Laser Ablation and Arc discharge methods (Ando, 2004). Chemical Vapor deposition is a flexible and lean way to produce Carbon Nano-tubes. It is very versatile process in which source hydrocarbon can be supplied in any form (Solid, Liquid or gas) and we can use substrates such as Ceramic bricks, cement, glass wool etc. The growth of C...
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...conventional way of Laboratory synthesis.
1) This process uses gases from the industrial exhaust which is let out into the atmosphere, which in turn makes profits out of pollution (NAIR & (IN), 2012).
2) The substrate coated catalyst can be used multiple times based on the exposure conditions and hence reusable (NAIR & (IN), 2012).
3) This process is completely carbon negative and earns carbon credits to the end user.
4) The demand for carbon Nanotubes asks for mass production and this is a very sustainable model as there are multiple industries everywhere.
5) The energy which is lost to the environment is used here to recover a wide application based product.
6) The raw Carbon Nanotubes recovered from this process can be directly incorporated in composites or rubber tires which increases the tensile strength and that is a direct application (NAIR & (IN), 2012)
the discovery of carbon nanotubes, the strongest material known to man, a possible solution has been found.
Carbon Nanotubes could make t-shirts bulletproof. Retrieved March 11, 2014, from Nano Werk: http://nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotids1054.php. Fecht, S. (n.d.). Lighter, stronger bulletproof clothing. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from Popular Mechanics: http://popularmechanics.com/science/health/med-tech/6spidersilksuperpowers.htm.
Clean energy production technologies are being developed that have the potential to significantly reduce pollution caused by electricity production ( Kirby,2004). Currently solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal resources are being utilized to subsidize electricity production throughout the world("Renewable energy," 2011). Major producers of energy are investing vast amounts of money to expand the use of alterna...
Until 10 years ago, air pollution was thought to be just an urban or local problem until it was discovered that the pollutants could move across continents and oceans. Air pollution is the fundamental factor that causes greenhouse gases, hence climate change and global warming. Air pollutants are the waste products generated from industrial and other processes. They usually come in gases, though aerosols (particles suspended in air, emitted as or formed by transformatio...
...ination, hydrogen fuel and solar energy (World Economic Forum 2014). These are technologies that closely related to environmental and recourse preservation, which help the society switch to use renewable energy.
Cellulose is an abundant polysaccharide consisting of a β-1, 4 linkage of D-glucose [1,3]. There is an array of applications for cellulose, including, but not limited to: biofuels, reinforcement agents, thickeners, dietary fiber, and even wound care. As of late, cellulose, as a waste product, has been in high demand as a reinforcement agent in synthetic, petroleum-based polymer matrices (petroleum based plastics) [3]. Cellulose I has good flexibility, it is abundant in nature and also biodegradable. Because of its fiber- like structure, it has been compared to carbon nanotubes (CNT’s) [3].
large surface areas. High temperature heat-treatment of active carbon such as coconut shells, wood powders, coal tar, resins and resorcinol-formaldehyde and related polymers yield active electrode materials. Another class of materials includes modified
Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) are manufactured by many companies including one called Element Six, these artificial diamonds are used in a wide range of technology such as; electronic, sensors, lasers and in thermal management. They are constructed in a vacuum system that allows that is below the average atmospheric pressure. Methane gas then supplies the carbon atoms needed for this process. Because they are able to control the purity of the gas it makes the CVD method a very effective way to make artificial diamonds.
Humans and animals breathe out Carbon Dioxide, often referred to as the greenhouse gas, as a waste product. Plants take in this CO2 and use it to make food. This is called photosynthesis. During this process oxygen is released which is then breathed in by humans and animals. This procedure is repeated over and over and a natural balance is obtained. However this natural balance is disrupted by human activity. People of the world are putting more than 5.5 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. 75% of this is caused from the burning of fossil fuels. These fuels are burnt all the time to run factories, power plants and vehicles. The main sources of CO2 emissions are electric utilities, residential buildings, industry and transportation. The other 25% is induced by the destruction of the world's forests. The reason for this is that there are less trees and plants to take in the CO2 but there is just as many, if not more, humans and animals to breathe it out.
American Chemical Society. "Carbon nanotubes twice as strong as once thought." ScienceDaily, 16 Sep. 2010. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
While the emissions and pollutants from automobiles and factories have been releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the population has been made less aware of the fact that more carbon dioxide is being released and filtered into the atmosphere via natural elemental cycles than any of these “manmade emissions” combined. These elemental cycles continue to filter elements between the earth and the atmosphere, and, during this process, some of the elements are left behind and continue to react with other elements and the sun—this creates reactions that produce greenhouse gasses and other compounds that damage the atmosphere. (Global Warming May Be Nearly Over, (Climate)) While these emissions from the elemental cycles and the excess amount coming from manmade pollutants have increased the speed of the process in which glob...
Human activities add to the levels of these gasses, causing more problems. “Automobiles, heat from homes and businesses, and factories are responsible for about 80% of today's carbon dioxide emissions, 25% of methane emissions, and 20% of the nitrous oxide emissions.” (3) The increase in agriculture, deforestation, landfills, industrial production, and mining contribute a significant share of emissions also. These gases that are released into the atmosphere are tracked by emission inventories. An emission inventory counts the amount of air pollutants discharged into the atmosphere. These inventories are important in studying the affects of global warming on the Earth.
The major forms of industrial pollution are air, noise, radioactive and soil contamination, thermal and water pollution. Air pollution is the release of chemicals and other contaminants into the atmosphere. The main air polluting substances are carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), along with nitrogen commonly...
causing more carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere. Once this process starts, it is
Humans produce it when they breathe, and cars, along with other industrial companies, produce it in the form of exhaust when fossil fuels are burned. The amount of fossil fuels burned in these past hundred years is more than any other time. That also means that there is an increase in air pollution bigger than ever before. Carbon dioxide in the environment can cause an increase in the earths temperature otherwise known as global warming. The reason that global warming is such a big problem is that as the earth becomes hotter so does the ocean and most organisms in the ocean have a very small temperature amount that they can live in.