Carbon Nanotubes in Civil Engineering: Properties and PotentialSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES

MWCNTs withthree walls

Superior Properties High Young’s modulus

(Y > 1 TPa) High tensile strength (~ 60 GPa)

Remarkable flexibility Excellent electricity

Excellent thermal conductivity Metallic or semi-conducting,

depending on chirality

APPLICATIONS

Atomic Force Microscope Tip CNT-based Machine Nanofluidic Devices

Hydrogen Storage DNA-CNT for Gene Delivery System

CNT-based Composites

PROJECTS (supported by ARC DP 1095466 and Monash internal grants) Contact: Dr Wenhui Duan Department of Civil Engineering

WATER TRANSPORT WITH CARBON NANOTUBE PUMP

Transportation of water molecules in a carbon nanotube (CNT) based on an energy pump concept is investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. Since it has been unveiled that the van der Waals energy between the CNT wall and the encapsulated water molecules initiates a possible motion or transportation of the molecules, the release of the pre-twisted pump will drive the water molecules and is expected to fulfil a smooth transportation of the molecules.

Collaborator: Prof. Quan Wang from University of Manitoba, Canada

NANO-KNIFE AND NANO-CUTTING BOARD

MD simulations were used to investigate the mechanical strain energy release of a bent single wall carbon nanotube and its mechanical collision with a circular graphene sheet that is fixed at its edges. The results indicate the promising application of a CNT and a graphene sheet as a nanoknife and a nanocutting board, respectively, for nanocleavage processes such as sequence-specific DNA cleaving processes.

Collaborators: Prof. CM Wang from National Uni. of Singapore, Singapore, Dr. WX Tang from School of Physics, Monash

INTERACTION OF CARBON NANOTUBE WITH SURFACTANTS (PLAYING WITH WATER)

The investigation of the interaction between surfactants (SDS) and a CNT was performed to understand the role of surfactants in the dispersion of CNTs. The interaction energies of SDS/CNT system and CNT bundles were calculated using MD simulations to reveal the minimum fraction of surfactants/CNT to debond CNT bundles.

Collaborators: Dr Frank Collins, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash, Prof. XL Zhao, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash, Prof. CM Wang from National University of Singapore, Singapore, Prof. Quan Wang from University of Manitoba, Canada