Nanomaterials in Consumer Products - Research Paper Example

Carbon Nanomaterials Introduction The evolution of science has been tremendous. Today, there are developments in technology that do not cease to astound many. Every field that employs science, from medicine to manufacturing, to transport and communication and so on, has seen the world undergo leaps and bounds in technology uses. The most recent development, however, is the use of nanotechnology. The use of materials reduced to the size only visible through an electronic microscope are receiving increased interest from the science fraternity. Their ability to be used in a myriad of applications and the fact that they are abundant due to their small sizes have seen their uses and popularity surge. There are several material used as nanomaterials currently. Gold, silicon, carbon, and so on are among these (Aitken, et al. 301). This paper, however, will be discussing one of the most used, and one that is more abundant than the others for that matter, carbon. The paper will discuss uses of the nanomaterial and other important factors such as how it is produced. Definition Before delving deep into the topic, it is crucial that the reader understands a few concepts in relation to nanomaterials. Nanotechnology, to begin with, refers to control of structure and behavior of matter at the atomic or molecular level. This is done so as to create new functions of the materials, systems, or devices from a bottom-up approach. The use of nanotechnology uses the concepts such as those that dictate different behavior of matter at different sizes. For example, gold is yellow in color, however, the color changes in relation to the sizes of the plates as that determines their ability of reflecting light. In nanotechnology, very small materials are used, smaller that 100nm in size (Roduner 503). For the sake of the paper, and for an elaboration of how small a nanometer is, it should be known that the particle is equal to 10 hydrogen atoms. A grain of sand, on the other hand, equals to a million nanometers. Materials equal to these sizes are known as nanomaterials and are now being used in physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, engineering, and material science. Sources of carbon Carbon exists in every form imaginable. The basic composition of glucose, for instance, is made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The air that plants use so that they can produce glucose or starch, also, has to contain carbon in the form of carbon dioxide. To add on that, carbon forms a critical part of fossil fuels. In fact, the fuels are known as hydrocarbons because they contain carbon as a basic component. Without carbon, therefore, there would not be people, plants, fuels, or basically, anything. This underscores the importance of carbon on this planet. Production methods of the nanoscale material The production method of carbon nanotubes is improving with time. Today, the process uses chemical vapor deposition (CVD) whenever carbon dioxide is being produced in high volume. Carbon Nanotubes, abbreviated as CNTs, are seamless cylinders of one or several layers of graphene and are denoted as SWNT and MWNT when they are single or multi-walled respectively with either open or closed ends. For perfect CNTs, and except at the ends, the carbon atoms are covalently bonded in hexagonal lattices. For mass productions of the same, some defects occur. Some of them include introduced heptagons and pentagons shapes and so on. Some exhibit some imperfections in the sidewalls which greatly impart on the properties of the compound and in most cases ruining them. The carbon nanomaterial can be produced through a series of methods. The arc, laser, chemical vapor deposition, and ball milling methods are the most popular (Jia et al. 1378). In the carbon arc discharge method, which is the most common and probably the easiest method of producing CNTs, two carbon rods placed on opposite directions are separated by a one millimeter distance between them. A direct current of about 100A is then driven by a potential difference of about 20 volts creating a high and increased temperature discharge between the electrodes. A small rod-shaped deposit forms on the surface of one electrode after some part of the first electrode is vaporized. The uniformity of the plasma arc and the temperature of the carbon rod deposit are what determine whether production of CNTs is possible in high scales. While this method is the simplest, it results to production of a lot of waste and impurities such as soot in the end CNT which, therefore, requires purification. The laser methods, on the other hand, produces end products with high levels of purity. The main difference between this method and the first is the use of laser and extremely high voltages, approximately 12000. Like the first method, CNTs are produced through vaporization methods. Although they are both the most used and the most economical methods of producing CNTs, they both suffer from several drawbacks. How they benefit the final consumer product The SWCNTs, produced through the arc-discharge method are usually 95% pure. Their uses are diverse. They have excellent mechanical strength. Their superior electric and heat conductivity, also, have made them popular in several electronic devices. The nanotubes are used in Nano biomaterial, chemical sensors, and display (backlight, field emitter, and flat lamp), and in manufacturing conductive nanoink (Sun et al. 1901). It is very difficult to produce large sizes of the SWCNT sheets, still, they are very effective in production of such components for instance smartphone displays. The MWCNTs produced through thermal CVD process, also, have excellent tensile strengths and have superior heat and electric conductivity. They, like the SWCNTs, have high crystallinity, high specific surface area, and high length-to-diameter ratio. These nanotubes have revolutionized industries that produce heat exchangers and energy storage. MWCNTs are also applied in heat exchangers, chemical sensors, conducting paints, reinforced material, and EMI shielding. Prospects for using the nanomaterial in current and future applications The ability of the Nanoshel CNTs to convert 3D network structures into thin films are based on the characteristic excellent physical properties and large aspect ratio. This ability is what makes the material very ideal in the manufacture of transparent electrodes. CNTs are better that the common ITO electrodes in making of the displays since they are more flexible, have low production costs, and are easier to produce in large scale. The future of the carbon nanotubes look very bright. Scientists are researching on how they can be used in cleaning polluted water through use of filters made of the material. This method shows improved efficacy while compared to the common filters. Another field that the nanotubes are said to develop exponentially is in the solar energy business. Producing of materials that can change state in response to light, as mentioned briefly in the beginning of this paper, is possible with the use of nanotubes. The material is said to have the ability to boost the storage of solar energy by a factor of 10,000. Conclusion In conclusion, the use of nanomaterials can only become more popular as time goes by. They have already shown several uses today and increased research will open up more uses for them. With the increased global warming and pollution, uses such as those that will see them being used in cleaning the air will be among the best uses of nanomaterials. Today, there are thought of building houses that are coated with nanomaterials that can be useful in cleaning the air. More uses are bound to arise with time. Works Cited Aitken, R. J., et al. "Manufacture and use of nanomaterials: current status in the UK and global trends." Occupational medicine 56.5 (2006): 300-306. Hecht, David S., Liangbing Hu, and Glen Irvin. "Emerging transparent electrodes based on thin films of carbon nanotubes, graphene, and metallic nanostructures." Advanced Materials 23.13 (2011): 1482-1513. Jia, Guang, et al. "Cytotoxicity of carbon nanomaterials: single-wall nanotube, multi-wall nanotube, and fullerene." Environmental science & technology 39.5 (2005): 1378-1383. Roduner, Emil. "Size matters: why nanomaterials are different." Chemical Society Reviews 35.7 (2006): 583-592. Sun, Ya-Ping, et al. "Functionalized carbon nanotubes: properties and applications." Accounts of Chemical Research 35.12 (2002): 1096-1104. Read More