Carbon nanotubes are tubes made of carbon with diameters typically measured in nanometers. Carbon nanotubes often refer to single-wall carbon nanotubes with diameters in the range of a nanometer. Single-wall carbon nanotubes are one of the allotropes of carbon, intermediate between fullerene cages and flat graphene.
Application
As of 2013, carbon nanotube production exceeded several thousand tons per year, used for applications in energy storage, device modelling, automotive parts, boat hulls, sporting goods, water filters, thin-film electronics, coatings, actuators and electromagnetic shields.
Tensile strength
Single-walled carbon nanotubes theoretically possess ultimate intrinsic tensile strengths in the 100–200 GPa range, among the highest in existing materials.
Density
around 2.1 g/cm3
Conductivity
Two of the most attractive fillers are carbon nanotubes and graphene. Both are known to possess very high mechanical stiffness and tensile strength, as well as exceptional thermal and electrical conductivity.
What do nanotubes do?
create networks within the composite material for instance to increase stiffness and material damping.
Made up of?
There are a number of methods of making CNTs and fullerenes. ... The fullerenes and CNTs are formed by plasma arcing of carbonaceous materials, particularly graphite.
Properties
A nanotube resembles a layer of graphene, rolled into a tube shape. Nanotubes have high tensile strength , so they are strong in tension and resist being stretched. Like graphene, nanotubes are strong, and they conduct electricity because they have delocalised electrons.
http://www.vishal-book-service.com