Sensor applications of carbon nanotubes

A search of published research on sensing mechanisms of carbon nanotubes was performed to identify applications in which carbon nanotubes might improve on current sensor technologies, in either offering improved performance, reduced cost of manufacture, or both. Using this overview of carbon nanotube-based sensors, specific sensor technologies that could benefit from the use of newly developed techniques for producing aligned and ordered bundles of carbon nanotubes were selected. Reports of chemical/gas, biological, optical, mechanical, and a few other sensor applications of carbon nanotubes are reviewed. Only a few of these applications might benefit from aligned and ordered bundles of carbon nanotubes. Of these potential applications, only applications in semiconducting gas sensors, DNA sensors, and infrared sensors appear to have clearly defined market niches and are sufficiently technologically mature to allow a detailed assessment of commercial potential. It is argued that DNA and infrared sensors have good commercial potential with a medium amount of risks, while gas sensors have a smaller potential. Finally, DNA sensors are believed to derive the most value from aligned and ordered bundles of carbon nanotubes.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Rushfeldt, Scott I

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Carl V. Thompson.

• Materials Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33619

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/33619