Carbon Nanotubes for Photoconversion and Electrical Energy Storage

Carbon multiwall nanotubes (MWNTs) and single-wall nanotubes (SWNTs) may be employed to improve upon photoconversion and electrical energy storage technologies. Carbon nanotubes have also been employed in PV devices to improve both exciton generation as well as transport of photoexcited carriers. Every SWNT can be considered to be a unique molecule, with different physical properties, depending on its indices, where the chiral vector magnitude denotes the nanotube circumference. The chiral angle is measured between the roll-up vector and the zigzag axis. Carbon multiwall nanotubes have electronic properties similar to those of graphite and are thus semimetals. Similar to SWNTs, a continuous low-cost production method producing MWNTs that are easily purified is required for MWNTs to be incorporated in emerging technologies. Other forms of nanographitic carbons may also prove promising in the development of next-generation renewable energy devices.