Objective
A major limitation on the application of the unique properties of carbon nanotubes has been their high cost and lack of availability. This IP brings together leading laboratories and companies within Europe to produce nanotubes on a bulk scale of ultimately tons per year. The large-scale growth of carbon nanotubes will be developed by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The applications in electronics as interconnects and vias for integrated circuits, for field effect transistors, and spin coherent transport will be developed. Field emission will be developed further for use in microwave amplifiers and micron scale x-ray sources. Electronic applications will be enabled by controlled growth in plasma enhanced CVD and thermal CVD. Multi-wall CNTs will be used as a catalyst in large-scale chemical reactions such as the dehydrogenation of ethyl benzene to styrene. Control of the nanotube internal orientation to give the herring bone microstructure is needed for catalysis, as plane edges are catalytically active. Fictionalisation of CNTs will be extended, in order to improve the performance of structural, electrically conducting and thermally conducting nanotube-polymer composites. Dispersion of nanotubes at high loading will be achieved in polymers to obtain high strength composites. Nanotubes are known to act as high energy density actuators, or 'artificial muscles'. Nanobiological devices will be fabricated based on self-assembly and molecular absorption. A toxicological study of CNTs particularly with respect to possible health hazards will be carried out, and nanotube/polymer composites will be tested for biocompatibility. Public acceptance of nanomaterials and nanotechnology will be encouraged by publicity and poling. Training, workshops and conferences will be held, and to promote technology transfer from universities and research institutes to companies. SMEs will be dominant in the CVD, catalysis and composite applications
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcomposites
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcomputer hardwarequantum computers
- natural scienceschemical sciencescatalysis
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials
Keywords
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP6-2002-NMP-1
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