Category: Nanoscale Bulk Technologies

Judith Hughes at the University of Louisville (Kentucky, USA) submitted this press release on 13 May 2002: "U OF L CHEMICAL ENGINEERSí PROCESS GROWS CROPS OF NANOWIRES

LOUISVILLE, Ky. ñ University of Louisville chemical engineer Mahendra Sunkara, doctoral student Shashank Sharma and their research group have developed a process for growing nanometer-scale wires that allows them to control more easily the minute wiresí size, structure and composition."

More information is available at the UL Chemical Vapor Assisted Materials Synthesis Lab in the Chemical Engineering Department

Two submissioins on this item:

waynerad writes "For the first time, researchers have created a simplified method for making long, continuous, hair-like strands of carbon nanotubes that are as much as eight inches in length. This breakthrough, reported in the May 3 issue of Science, is a first step toward creating such products as microcables for electrical devices or mechanically robust electrochemical actuators for artificial muscles.

The researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and collaborators at Tsinghua University in Beijing found that chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a widely used technique to grow nanotubes, has a high yield of long strands when a sulfur-containing compound and hydrogen are added to the process."

And Brian Wang writes "For the first time, researchers have created a simplified method for making long, continuous, hair-like strands of carbon nanotubes that are as much as eight inches in length. This breakthrough, reported in the May 3 issue of Science, is a first step toward creating such products as microcables for electrical devices or mechanically robust electrochemical actuators for artificial muscles. The researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and collaborators at Tsinghua University in Beijing found that chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a widely used technique to grow nanotubes, has a high yield of long strands when a sulfur-containing compound and hydrogen are added to the process. Researchers have previously created nanotube fibers with more complex methods, but because CVD is commonly used to make nanotubes, it would be easily adaptable and more efficient for synthesizing the long strands for practical applications. This new method produced nanotubes that measured 20 centimeters, much longer than conventional nanotubes, said Pulickel Ajayan. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-05/rpi -spl050102.php"

Mr. Tejano writes "Space Daily has a great article about a group of researchers at Virginia Tech that are developing flexible solar cells [using nano-structured thin films] that they hope will replace their silicon equivalents. It can be read here: http://spacedaily.com/news/materials-02i.html"