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Circuits Better with Purer Nanotubes
Mark_Uplanguage writes "PhysicsWeb has an article on improving techniques for the use of carbon nanotubes in electronic circuits. From the article, 'Physicists in the US have developed a new method for making electronic circuits with carbon nanotubes. The technique involves dipping semiconductor chips into a purified solution of nanotubes, rather than the conventional method of growing the nanotubes directly onto the chips. The resulting devices are much better than those produced by other approaches.'"
That there are quantum mechanical problems with having the tubes alligned and getting a good signal through them.
OK, they used the wrong word. They should have said "a suspension containing nanotubes".
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
Actually in NJ, Malt Vinegar goes on Fries as well...
They're a lot like what we call "Steak Fries" here in the US. I generally prefer them to the thin fast-food kind, but done properly, they're all good.
Remember everyone, don't buy those frozen par-cooked ones. Cut 'em fresh, blanch them in 250-275 degree oil, drain, then fry at a higher temp (365 works for me). Oh yeah, and if you want 'em REAL good, fry them in some sort of animal fat. Otherwise use Peanut Oil and only that.
These are not "purer nanotubes". They are more nanotubes and less other junk. Nanotubes grown on a surface will tend to also create other carbon molecules like ash, diamond crystalites, and even buckyballs. The purified stuff is simple this same mix of materials, but filtered to only have the tubes. They're still the same quality of tubes, just not dilluted w/ other crud.
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer." -Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear
Right. Just like the US military / industrial complex had been using silicon chips for 30 years before the Altair, or vacuum tube computers 30 years before the first commercial computer.
FYI, the timeline:
1943: Colossus
1946: ENIAC
1958: first IC
1971: first CPU
1975: Altair
Not so. You can have macromolecules is solution without destroying them. For example, fullerene dissolves in toluene. The molecules don't break up, but they acquire a coating of toluene molecules on the surface which means that they act as part of the liquid instead of a solid. When the toluene is evaporated, the buckys are fine.
In fact, there's a good chance these nanotubes are bucky-derived so they might even be in a toluene solution in TFA (which I haven't read cos I don't care about chip manufacture, I was just reading for the '+5 Funny's).
J.
You're only jealous cos the little penguins are talking to me.
Technically, that's not the whole truth. Carbon in graphite form
is a semimetal at room temperature (has nearly zero
temperature coefficient of conductivity); at lower temperature
it is a semiconductor, at higher temperature it is a conductor.
The high temperature behavior is similar to a semiconductor
'going intrinsic' (Germanium does this at an inconveniently
low temperature, Silicon goes to several hundred Celsius
first).
No one used graphite semiconductors much because the
lattice is VERY strong in one dimension and weak in another;
diffusion of impurities is quixotic. Also, fracture can occur
easily. Nanotubes are different in interesting ways from
graphite in these regards.
It's common (or used to be) to use the abrupt resistance rise
of a carbon resistor to implement dipstick functions for
liquid nitrogen containers. It's also possible to dope
graphite for very high electrical conductivity (I've heard it
can exceed that of copper). Both these are semiconductor
electronic applications, though crude ones.