Master10
Science & Technology15 Concepts & Facts

Nanotechnology & Carbon Nanotubes GK Questions & Answers

Reviewed by the Master10 Editorial Board for accuracy, clarity and competitive-exam relevance.Editorial Policy
Nanotechnology encompasses the precise manipulation, engineering, and characterization of matter at the nanoscale, specifically within the dimension of 1 to 100 nanometres, where quantum mechanical phenomena govern material behavior. The theoretical foundation emerged in December 1959 when American Nobel laureate Richard Feynman delivered his landmark Caltech address titled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," conceptualizing atomic-level synthesis. In 1974, Tokyo Science University professor Norio Taniguchi coined the term "nanotechnology" to describe sub-micrometre precision manufacturing. The field advanced rapidly with the discovery of zero-, one-, and two-dimensional carbon allotropes: Harold Kroto, Richard Smalley, and Robert Curl isolated spherical buckminsterfullerene (C60) in 1985; Japanese physicist Sumio Iijima identified cylindrical carbon nanotubes in 1991; and Andre Geim alongside Konstantin Novoselov mechanically exfoliated planar monolayer graphene in 2004.

At the nanoscale, materials exhibit altered physical properties driven by high surface-area-to-volume ratios and quantum confinement. Restricting electron wavefunctions within dimensions comparable to the de Broglie wavelength discretizes continuous energy bands into quantized energy levels, modifying electrical conductivities and optical spectra. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exist as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with concentric graphene cylinders spaced 0.34 nanometres apart. Governed by their chiral vector indices (n, m), nanotubes exhibit metallic or semiconducting behavior. Ballistic electron transport minimizes electrical resistance, while sp2 hybridized carbon-carbon bonds provide Young's moduli exceeding 1 terapascal, tensile strengths up to 100 gigapascals, and thermal conductivity approaching 3,500 W/(m·K).

Practical implementations of nanotechnology span targeted oncology drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier, field-effect biosensors for point-of-care diagnostics, and lightweight nanocomposite materials for defence aerospace. To establish national capability, the Government of India launched the Nano Mission in 2007 under the Department of Science and Technology with an initial outlay of 1,000 crore rupees, strengthening research at premier centres including the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences. In competitive examinations like the UPSC Civil Services (General Studies Paper III) and SSC CGL, nanotechnology questions test the structural geometry of fullerenes (12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal faces in C60), differences between SWCNTs and MWCNTs, quantum dot mechanics in bio-imaging, nanotoxicology, and regulatory frameworks governing nanomaterial discharge into aquatic ecosystems.

Key Concepts & Self-Assessment15 Key Facts

Review key Nanotechnology & Carbon Nanotubes exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.

Progress: 0/15 Rated 0 Mastered 0 Review Later
#1
Nanotechnology operates within the scale of 1 to 100 nanometres, where quantum confinement and surface area-to-volume effects dominate materials behavior.
#2
Richard Feynman outlined the conceptual basis of nanotechnology in his December 1959 address titled 'There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom'.
#3
The term 'nanotechnology' was coined in 1974 by Japanese researcher Norio Taniguchi of the Tokyo Science University.
#4
Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer invented the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) in 1981, earning the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics.
#5
Gerd Binnig, Calvin Quate, and Christoph Gerber invented the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) in 1986 to image non-conductive nanoscale surfaces.
#6
Sumio Iijima of NEC Corporation reported the direct observation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in Nature in 1991 using high-resolution TEM.
#7
Carbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon configured as tubular cylinders of rolled-up graphene sheets with sp2 covalent hybridization.
#8
Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) consist of a single cylindrical graphene layer with typical outer diameters ranging from 0.4 to 2 nanometres.
#9
Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) comprise multiple concentric graphene cylinders separated by an interlayer spacing of approximately 0.34 nanometres.
#10
The electronic properties of carbon nanotubes depend on their chiral vector (n, m), exhibiting metallic conduction when (n - m) is a multiple of 3, and semiconducting behavior otherwise.
#11
Carbon nanotubes possess tensile strengths up to 60 to 100 gigapascals, roughly 100 times higher than structural steel at one-sixth the density.
#12
The axial Young's modulus of carbon nanotubes approaches 1 terapascal (1000 GPa), making them among the stiffest known synthetic materials.
#13
CNTs exhibit ballistic electron transport over sub-micrometer lengths due to minimal electron-phonon scattering along the seamless graphene lattice.
#14
Fullerenes (C60 or 'buckyballs') were discovered in 1985 by Harold Kroto, Robert Curl, and Richard Smalley, earning the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
#15
The Government of India launched the Nano Mission (Mission on Nano Science and Technology) in 2007 under the Department of Science and Technology.

Subject Specialist Commentary

Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board

Educator's Insight
Nanotechnology deals with materials engineered at an unimaginably tiny scale, between 1 and 100 nanometres. At this level, ordinary elements behave completely differently due to quantum effects and enormous surface areas. A shining example is carbon nanotubes, first imaged by Sumio Iijima in 1991. These are microscopic cylinders of rolled graphene sheets that are nearly a hundred times stronger than steel yet much lighter, conducting electricity with almost zero resistance.
For UPSC and State PSC exams, focus on the distinction between single-walled and multi-walled tubes, especially how chirality decides whether a tube behaves as a metal or semiconductor. SSC questions frequently test historical landmarks, such as Richard Feynman’s 1959 speech, Taniguchi coining the term in 1974, and India's 2007 Nano Mission. Watch out for statements confusing fullerenes with nanotubes or misstating the 1 to 100 nanometre boundary.

Related Knowledge Topics to Discover

Looking for more GK practice?

Explore 52,789+ questions across 65 General Knowledge categories.

Open Interactive Search