Extreme thermal stability of carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Abstract The versatility of carbon–carbon bonding creates a wealth of extraordinary physical properties. Of the two common allotropes of carbon, diamond (sp‐3 bonded) exhibits record thermal conductivity but is meta‐stable and transits to graphite at elevated temperatures. Graphite (sp‐2) is electrically conducting but sublimes at temperatures as low as 2400 K. Carbon nanotubes (also sp‐2) capitalize on the extraordinary strength of the sp‐2 hybridized carbon–carbon bond and exhibit high electrical and thermal conductivities as well as tremendous mechanical strength. Here we report a new technique to measure the thermal properties of nanosystems. We apply this technique to determine the ultimate high temperature breakdown of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)