Entries with tag carbon nanotubes.

Stanford University researchers have demonstrated a computer chip consisting of carbon nanotube-based transistors. The team—led by professor Philip Wong—created the chip with semiconducting carbon nanotubes. The resulting device is highly conductive and can be significantly smaller than silicon-based devices, which is increasingly important as device sizes continue to shrink. However, growing nanotubes with semiconducting properties is challenging. Today, most methods create batches of nanotubes in which as many as 30 percent are metallic rather than semiconducting. To address this, the scientists grouped the nanotubes in a way that self-corrects errors, allowing the device to continue working despite flawed materials. Rather than explain this process, they built a chip for analog-to-digital conversion using the carbon nanotube circuit. The scientists next plan to determine whether their technology could scale enough for use as a CPU in conventional computers. They demonstrated their technology at the recent IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco.(PhysOrg)(Technology Review) 

Carbon nanotubes have proven to be a promising technology for use in detecting leaks of harmful gasses, constructing sensors made with the material is typically a challenging, hazardous process ill-suited for large-scale production. MIT researchers have developed a pencil lead made from stable, compressed carbon nanotubes that can be used with a regular mechanical pencil to draw sensors on any paper surface. The pencil is used on a sheet of paper imprinted with tiny gold electrodes. An electrical current is applied and, if the current changes any, this means gas present in the environment has bound to the carbon nanotubes. The researchers developed a sensor to detect small amounts of ammonia gas. The researchers say they can add metal atoms to the nanotube walls or wrapping various materials around the tubes to enable the sensors to detect a wide range of gases. The researchers published their work in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
(EurekAlert)(MIT News Office)(Angewandte Chemie)
Carbon nanotubes have proven to be a promising technology for use in detecting leaks of harmful gasses, constructing sensors made with the material is typically a challenging, hazardous process ill-suited for large-scale production. MIT researchers have developed a pencil lead made from stable, compressed carbon nanotubes that can be used with a regular mechanical pencil to draw sensors on any paper surface. The pencil is used on a sheet of paper imprinted with tiny gold electrodes. An electrical current is applied and, if the current changes any, this means gas present in the environment has bound to the carbon nanotubes. The researchers developed a sensor to detect small amounts of ammonia gas. The researchers say they can add metal atoms to the nanotube walls or wrapping various materials around the tubes to enable the sensors to detect a wide range of gases. The researchers published their work in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
(EurekAlert)(MIT News Office)(Angewandte Chemie)

Carbon nanotubes have proven to be a promising technology for use in detecting leaks of harmful gasses, constructing sensors made with the material is typically a challenging, hazardous process ill-suited for large-scale production. MIT researchers have developed a pencil lead made from stable, compressed carbon nanotubes that can be used with a regular mechanical pencil to draw sensors on any paper surface. The pencil is used on a sheet of paper imprinted with tiny gold electrodes. An electrical current is applied and, if the current changes any, this means gas present in the environment has bound to the carbon nanotubes. The researchers developed a sensor to detect small amounts of ammonia gas. The researchers say they can add metal atoms to the nanotube walls or wrapping various materials around the tubes to enable the sensors to detect a wide range of gases. The researchers published their work in the journal Angewandte Chemie. (EurekAlert)(MIT News Office)(Angewandte Chemie)