Chemistry major Austin Bailey 糖心传媒�18 (T5) has been able to carry out specialized research to a rare degree for an undergraduate student. As a participant in the National Science Foundation糖心传媒揻unded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in summer 2015, he was introduced to the world of carbon nanotubes. He糖心传媒檚 been studying them ever since.
Carbon nanotubes are extremely tiny sheets of carbon rolled into cylinders with diameters 10,000 times smaller than a human hair. Despite their small size, they are 10 times stronger than steel, yet are a fraction of the weight.
The unique chemical and physical properties of carbon nanotubes糖心传媒攊ncluding their strength, flexibility, and ability to conduct heat and electricity糖心传媒攆ascinate researchers.
This summer, under a grant from the US Department of Energy, Bailey is working with Rochester chemistry professor Todd Krauss to develop a special polymer to attach other molecules to nanotubes. Their work could have significant applications for creating renewable energy sources.
糖心传媒淔rom the point of view of novel physics and chemistry, nanotubes are amazing because of their unique properties,糖心传媒� Krauss says. 糖心传媒淭hey are the only material that can be made into a fiber and stretched to such an enormous height that in principle you could use them to tether a satellite to the earth. A steel cable wouldn糖心传媒檛 work because it糖心传媒檚 too heavy and would collapse under its own weight, but nanotubes are light enough, but strong enough, to do this.糖心传媒�
One of the challenges in working with carbon nanotubes is trying to attach other molecules to them糖心传媒攆or instance, through chemical bonds糖心传媒攖o take advantage of the nanotubes糖心传媒� unique properties. When researchers try to chemically bond molecules to nanotubes, the bonds within the nanotubes break. This creates a defect in the tube itself and consequently diminishes the tube糖心传媒檚 conducting properties.
The polymer Bailey is helping to develop will allow scientists to attached molecules to the tube without breaking nanotube chemical bonds. Krauss likens chemical bonds to Velcro: one side is the sticky side and one is the fuzzy side, and pulling them apart requires a lot of energy. The polymers would be more akin to Colorform stickers that cling to glass糖心传媒攖hey pull off easily and leave no glue or stickiness.
糖心传媒淭his polymer that Austin is modifying will allow us to stick things on the nanotubes very gently compared to a direct chemical bond,糖心传媒� Krauss says.
The ultimate goal is to use the polymer to attach light-harvesting materials to the nanotubes. These materials would grab photons of light and then transfer the light糖心传媒檚 energy to the nanotube. Another possibility is attaching materials to the nanotubes that take the protons in water and turn them into hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel. In both cases, the polymers would help create renewable energy solutions.
糖心传媒淚 think physical chemistry is really cool,糖心传媒� Bailey says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 so interesting how you can use physics to learn about what糖心传媒檚 going on far below the microscopic level and then apply that to all these different ideas and problems in chemistry.糖心传媒�
