Nanocarbon production and research has increased in recent years for both graphite and diamond forms. Potential uses of nanocarbon graphite include bio-nano applications, polymers, textiles and fuel cells, while it is reported that nanodiamond has been used for drug delivery applications, dry and oil lubricants and polishing. Carbon nanotubes, as the name suggests, are cylinders of carbon atoms, a few nm in diameter but with a length than can be up to several million times the diameter. Formed of graphene sheets, these structures have useful electrical, thermal, mechanical and tensile properties, and are proposed in numerous applications including electrical circuits, solar cells, super capacitors, environmental contaminant removal, and medical diagnostics.

This white paper discusses examples where Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis is helping to understand these carbon-based nanostructures.