McGill.CA / Science / Department of Physics

Physical Society Colloquium

Special Physics Seminar

The Story of a Wonderful New Toy: the Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube

Jacques Lefebvre

Department of Physicsa and Astronomy
University of Pennsylvania

Not so long ago, the only two forms of crystalline carbon were diamond and graphite. Without considering the seductive quality of the first one, they globally present remarkable mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. Recently, exotic varieties of crystalline or quasi-crystalline carbon were added to these two. Spheres, "onions", cones, concentric cylinders, torus and tubes are now common products of synthesis. With the fullerenes, the Single-Wall carbon Nanotube (SWNT) is without a doubt the most exciting and most promising of all. An overview of the various outstanding physical properties of SWNTs is presented along with the expected multi-disciplinary impacts.

Tuesday, March 9th 1999, 16:00
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, room 115