What is a nanotube? You could define nanotube, as a kind of tiny dimensions tube, formed that usually with a rolled sheet of graphite, so it also tends to acquire the name of carbon nanotube, but other materials can also be used for its construction as Silicon or Boron Nitride. These carbon nanotubes, shaped allotropic, and depending on the degree of curl of the same, acquire different diameters and internal structures. They are subject to numerous studies, since due to its characteristics, it is capable of supporting its own weight suspended on our planet, and for this reason, it believes that they could be used in the construction of a space elevator, something that would be a technological breakthrough. History: while humans throughout history made use of nanotubes with great frequency, was not aware of many of their applications until a recent time, specifically in 1991, the year in which became globally famous and began the research to its around. The first time that we can meet with nanotubes, throughout history, we must go back to 1889, when Hugues and Chambers, decided to patent a procedure in the manufacture of carbon filaments, using hydrogen and methane as precursor gases, in a crucible of iron. Almost seventy years later, in 1952, two Russian scientists, Radushkevich and Lukyanovich, performed an admirable work, taking pictures of 50 nanotubes, but his work not gained importance due to the cold war. Subsequently, individual works on these strange tubes, not taking reference of ancient works were published.
In 1985, the primos-hermanos of nanotubes, Fullerenes, that are discovered, instead of having tube shape, have it sphere, the discovery was a serendipity, which awarded the nobel prize in 1996 to its discoverers. And finally in 1991, nanotubes, discovered while he was investigating to Fullerenes, and research that have developed since then they could mean a breakthrough in technology and quality of human life. Kinds of nanotubes: monolayer (Single-Walled Nanotubes): as its name already indicates, they are single layer nanotubes, and they have certain electrical characteristics not shared with siblings nanotubes, and so it can be used for the creation of TRT (transistors) and logic gates (are basically different circuits formed by transistors). Multilayer (Multi-Walled Natotubes): Formed by several layers of nanotubes arranged as the famous Russian dolls (one above the other), or as a newsprint wrapping. They are more complex than the previous ones. Bilayer (Double-Walled Nanotubes): Made up of two layers, share characteristics similar to those of the monolayer or SWN. Which applications do? Nanotubes have various applications and most seem to science fiction, are able to transform solar energy into electricity (solar panels), can be used as supercapacitors, without forget that could be its a step agigantado in technology of our computers, serving as transistors, tiny pieces that are the reason why aren’t large rooms with great demand for electric power. It also has other applications, but they are so diverse that I would be impossible to name them all.
