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Group 7: Design and Assembly of Carbon Nanotube Generator and Nanotube Characterization Welcome to our webpage describing our senior Chemical Engineering Project for ChE 415. Our group members are:
Project Objectives: The purpose of this project is to build a carbon nanotube generator and use it to grow well-aligned carbon nanotubes on a substrate. Our secondary objective is to characterize the nanotubes using XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy).
Why Carbon Nanotubes? Extensive research is being done on carbon nanotubes because of their unique thermal, electrical, and physical properties. This department is specifically interestested in their selective direction of heat transfer. Due to their unique structure, carbon nanotubes have essentially only longitudinal thermal conductivity, meaning that heat is conducted along the length of the nanotubes but not across them. This has various applications, including a micro-heat pump that will be researched in the future.
How It's Done Below is a schematic of the planned nanotube generator. Ethanol is used as the source of carbon and ferrocine is used as the catalyst seed from which the tubes are grown. In order to form nanotubes the reactants must be at a miniumum temperature of 600 degrees C. This high temperature is provided by the tube furnace. Wait, Aren't Carbon Nanotubes Dangerous? It is true that carbon nanotubes have the potential to be harmful. Research done on the safety of carbon nanotubes reveals serious hazards if nanotubes contact the lungs. Research on airbonre nanotbues is ongoing and not yet conclusive, but there is good reason to be cautious. We are being very careful to ensure that there will be no expose of carbon nanotubes to ourselves or anyone else. The gas outlet from the reactor is first bubbled through a liquid to remove nanotubes and other dangerous chemicals. The furnace will be in a fume hood, to further guarantee no exposure to the potentially dangerous nanotubes.
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Chemical Engineering. 102 Gleeson Hall, Oregon State University. Corvallis, OR 97331-2702
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