Carbon Nano Tubes- Ballistic Conductors

[taylaron]

Hey guys, I'm researching single walled carbon nanotubes and I am trying to find out how much approx. Resistance there is in a pile of ~50nm long metallic SWCNT's piled on top of each other to form a line (think laying gunpowder for a fuse...). I'm perplexed because SWCNT's at the proper size are ballistic conductors (no resistance). This poses an interesting situation because I would suspect traveling from one CNT to another identical one via the point where they touch would create resistance because of the reduced surface area.

So the question is: does a series of metallic SWCNT's overlapping each other to form a line create resistance opposed to a single CNT that is a ballistic conductor which is also the same length of the line (which is generally impossible with todays manufacturing methods given a reasonable distance of a few millimeters).

Regards,
-Tay

 

[taylaron]

Perhaps someone could direct me to a research project that might know?

Thanks for trying!

-Tay

 

[oswaler]

Hello Tay,

Thank you for sharing your research and question about carbon nanotubes. I find this topic very interesting and I would be happy to provide some insights.

Firstly, let's briefly discuss the properties of carbon nanotubes. As you mentioned, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are known to be highly conductive, with very low resistance. This is due to their unique structure, which allows for the efficient flow of electrons.

Now, to answer your question about resistance in a pile of overlapping SWCNTs, it is important to consider the factors that contribute to resistance. In general, resistance is affected by the material's length, cross-sectional area, and temperature. In the case of SWCNTs, their length is very small (50nm), and their cross-sectional area is also small, making them ideal for conducting electricity with minimal resistance.

However, when multiple SWCNTs are piled on top of each other to form a line, the points of contact between them may create some resistance. This is because the points of contact may not be perfectly aligned, resulting in a disruption of the electron flow. Additionally, as you mentioned, the reduced surface area at the point of contact may also contribute to resistance.

To answer your question, a series of overlapping SWCNTs may indeed create some resistance compared to a single SWCNT. However, the amount of resistance would likely be minimal due to the small size and high conductivity of the SWCNTs. Additionally, as you mentioned, it is currently difficult to manufacture SWCNTs at lengths of a few millimeters, so it may not be practical to compare a single SWCNT to a line of overlapping SWCNTs in real-life scenarios.

I hope this helps to answer your question. Keep up the good work in your research on carbon nanotubes!

Best regards,