Abstract:Carbon nano tubes are allotropes of carbon. Carbon nano tubes are just a few billionths of a meter across, but are ultra strong. Their unusual properties promise to revolutionize electronics, computers, chemistry and material sciences. They had been discovered in 1991.
One of the main applications of carbon nano tubes is super strong bullet proof vests. A new bullet proof material is designed which actually rebounds the force of a bullet. Bulletproof materials at the moment are designed to spread the force.The nature of the bonding of a nano tube is described by applied quantum chemistry, specifically, orbital hybridization. The chemical bonding of nano tubes are composed entirely of sp2 bonds, similar to those of graphite.The lightweight fiber, made up of millions of tiny carbon nano tubes, is starting to reveal exciting properties. The fiber is very strong, lightweight and good at absorbing energy in the form of fragments traveling at very high velocity. Inherent property of elasticity is the main reason for it. Carbon nano tubes exhibit extraordinary mechanical properties.It is as stiff as diamond. The material is already up to several times stronger, tougher and stiffer than fibers currently used to make protective amour. For body armour, the strength of the fibers in a fabric is critical parameter. Recently preparing bullet proof t-shirts can save lots of people from bullet hits. In future, these amours can be used for military applications.