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Chapter 19: Problem 12

How are fullerenes and nanotubes alike? How are they different?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Fullerenes and Nanotubes are both allotropes of carbon, exhibiting molecular structures, and electrical conductivity. However, they differ in their structures and their specific applications. Fullerenes have a closed structure, often spherical, and are used for various applications in nanotechnology, materials science, and electronics. Nanotubes, on the other hand, have an open, cylindrical structure. They possess exciting electrical properties and are utilized in electronics, optics, materials science, and medical applications.

Step by step solution

01

Similarities: Fullerenes and Nanotubes

1. Both Fullerenes and Nanotubes are allotropes of carbon, which means they are made entirely of carbon atoms. 2. Both structures are molecular in nature, meaning they are made of discrete multiples of atoms. 3. Both can conduct electricity due to the delocalized electrons present in their structures. 4. Both structures have high tensile strength due to the strong covalent bonds between the carbon atoms.
02

Differences: Fullerenes

1. Fullerenes have a closed structure, taking the form of hollow spheres, ellipsoids, or tubes. 2. The most commonly known fullerene, the Buckminsterfullerene, is made of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a soccer-ball-like shape composed of 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons. 3. Fullerenes are primarily used in the field of nanotechnology, for drug delivery systems in the body, in materials science, and in electronics.
03

Differences: Nanotubes

1. Nanotubes have an open structure, with each atom on the surface of the tube. 2. The structure of a Nanotube is cylindrical with a hollow center. It is essentially a sheet of graphite (a hexagonal lattice of carbon) rolled into a cylinder. 3. Nanotubes have striking electrical properties, they can be highly conductive and can also be semiconductors, depending upon their structure. 4. Nanotubes also have applications in the field of nanotechnology, specifically in electronics, optics, and other fields of materials science. It's also used for drug delivery in medical applications.

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