Synthesis and application of carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are now considered as ideal nanomaterials due to their intrinsic properties, such as thermal, mechanical and electrical properties, in a wide range of promising applications. History and basic structure of carbon nanotubes were reviewed briefly in previous paper. In this paper we focus on synthetic methods, properties and finally some of the important application of carbon nanotubes. Even though the fabrication of carbon nanotubes using chemical vapor deposition methods¹ are possible, large-scale production techniques of high-purity carbon nanotubes, especially at a relatively low cost, still remain developed. Among many potential applications of carbon nanotubes, we focus on electrochemical applications, field emission devices and the use of nanotubes as reinforcement in high-performance composites.