Carbon Nanotubes

Composites Science and Technology 61 (2001) 1899–1912 www.elsevier.com/locate/compscitech

Advances in the science and technology of carbon nanotubes and their composites: a review
Erik T. Thostensona, Zhifeng Renb, Tsu-Wei Choua,* a Department of Mechanical Engineering and Center for Composite Materials, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA b Department of Physics, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02167, USA Received 1 May 2001; received in revised form 19 June 2001; accepted 21 June 2001

Abstract Since their first observation nearly a decade ago by Iijima (Iijima S. Helical microtubules of graphitic carbon Nature. 1991; 354:56–8), carbon nanotubes have been the focus of considerable research. Numerous investigators have since reported remarkable physical and mechanical properties for this new form of carbon. From unique electronic properties and a thermal conductivity higher than diamond to mechanical properties where the stiffness, strength and resilience exceeds any current material, carbon nanotubes offer tremendous opportunities for the development of fundamentally new material systems. In particular, the exceptional mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes, combined with their low density, offer scope for the development of nanotubereinforced composite materials. The potential for nanocomposites reinforced with carbon tubes having extraordinary specific stiffness and strength represent tremendous opportunity for application in the 21st century. This paper provides a concise review of recent advances in carbon nanotubes and their composites. We examine the research work reported in the literature on the structure and processing of carbon nanotubes, as well as characterization and property modeling of carbon nanotubes and their composites. # 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction In the mid 1980s, Smalley and co-workers at Rice University developed the chemistry of fullerenes [2]. Fullerenes are geometric cage-like

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