Since their discovery in 1991 by the Japanese scientist ‘‘Sumio Iijima’’, carbon nanotubes have been of great interest, both from a fundamental point of view and for future applications. Different types of carbon nanotubes can be produced in various ways. Economically feasible large-scale production and purification techniques are still under development. | Arabian Journal of Chemistry (2012) 5, 1–23 King Saud University Arabian Journal of Chemistry REVIEW Carbon nanotubes, science and technology part (I) structure, synthesis and characterisation Ahmad Aqel a,*, Kholoud . Abou El-Nour b, Reda . Ammar c, Abdulrahman Al-Warthan c a King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, College of Science building # 4, . Box 2454, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia b Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Faisal University, Hufof-31982, . Box 4710, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia c Department of Chemistry, College of Science building # 5, . Box 2455, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia Received 9 June 2010; accepted 28 August 2010 Available online 7 September 2010 KEYWORDS Nanotechnology; Carbon nanotubes; Fullerenes; Single-wall carbon nanotubes; Multi-wall carbon nanotubes; Structure; Arc discharge; Chemical vapour deposition; Laser ablation; Characterisation methods Abstract Since their discovery in 1991 by the Japanese scientist ‘‘Sumio Iijima’’, carbon nanotubes have been of great interest, both from a fundamental point of view and for future applications. Different types of carbon nanotubes can be produced in various ways. Economically feasible large-scale production and purification techniques are still under development. Carbon nanotubes are discussed in this review in terms of history, types, structure, synthesis and characterisation methods. Carbon nanotubes have attracted the fancy of many scientists worldwide. The unique and unusual properties of these structures make them a unique material with a whole range of promising applications. ª 2010 King Saud University. Production and hosting by Elsevier . All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +96614674198; fax: +96614670662; Mobile: +966505284007. E-mail addresses: ahmad3qel@, aifseisi@ (A. Aqel). 1878-5352 ª 2010 King Saud University. Production and .
