Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: DST
Context: Researchers at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Science and Technology (IASST) have developed a ground-breaking method for synthesizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) directly on glass substrates at a lower temperature of 750°C.
- This innovative approach, utilizing Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition Technique (PECVD), eliminates the need for high temperatures and metal catalysts traditionally used in CNT synthesis.
- The process relies on sodium (Na) as the primary catalyst for CNT growth, making it more suitable for potential biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility compared to conventional catalysts.
The study highlights the removal of Na from the synthesized CNTs, making them cleaner and more suitable for various applications in energy research, biomedicine, and optoelectronics.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a type of carbon with a diameter of nanometers and a length of micrometres (where the length-to-diameter ratio exceeds 1000).
CNT is made up of enrolled cylindrical graphitic sheets (named graphene) wrapped up into a seamless cylinder with a nanometer-sized diameter.
