The Narrowest Carbon Nanotubes Produced in China

　　Professors from Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have successfully made the narrowest carbon nanotubes in the world. The success greatly pushed forward nona technology. The narrowest diameter of Chinese carbon nanotubes was Φ0.5 nm, nearing about the theoretic limit of 0.4 nm.

　　The research group led by professor Sishen Xie of CAS developed the finest carbon nanotubes with inside diameter of only about 0.5 nm. Before that, the narrowest carbon nanotube has an inside diameter of 0.7 nm.

　　The research about carbon nanotubes has drawn much attention from scientists since 1991, and is one of the spotlights in the fields of physics, chemistry and materials science. It is well known that many properties of carbon nanotubes lie in their sizes.. This technology will have good prospects for application in the microelectronics industry.

　　The research result was published in the first issue of Nature, 2000. The famous BBC NEWS also reported the news on the Internet, and stated that the narrowest carbon nanotubes were first prepared by Chinese scientists.

　　In the self-made discharge instruments, the electric arc discharge techniques were improved to achieve pattern growth model. Using carbon nanotubes as discharge anode, the carbon nanotubes with 0.5nm in diameter corresponding to that of C36 were produced in the discharge outcome. This carbon nanotubes possessed a series of unique electrical and mechanical properties, and may be used in novel composites and super-minisized circuits. Now, the research group attempted to prepare single-wall carbon nanotubes with the same size using improved experimental techniques.