Carbon nanotubes introcution from IBM

Carbon nanotubes
	Here, we focus on our recent work on carbon nanotubes; their structure, properties and uses in nano-electronic devices. Carbon nanotubes are extremely thin (their diameter is about 10,000 times smaller than a human hair), hollow cylinders made of carbon atoms.
	This site consists of the following sections (to access them you may also use the navigation bar on the left): Nanotube manipulation: We can manipulate the nanotube positions, change their shape, cut them and place them on electrodes. Molecular mechanics: We can simulate the mechanical behavior of nanotubes by calculating the forces acting between nanotubes and other objects such as the substrate. Nanotube Field-Effect Transistor: We have successfully used semiconducting single and multi-walled nanotubes as channels of field-effect transistors. Nanotube rings: While normally nanotubes are straight, we have devised ways to prepare them in a ring form. Nanotube theory: Computation and theory of the electrical and mechanical properties.
		Nanotubes, depending on their structure, can be metals or semiconductors. They are also extremely strong materials and have good thermal conductivity. The above characteristics have generated strong interest in their possible use in nano-electronic and nano-mechanical devices. For example, they can be used as nano-wires or as active components in electronic devices such as the field-effect transistor shown in this site.