Carbon Nanotube Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives:

 Students will be able to identify the different kinds of carbon nanotubes.

 Students will be able to build, with a paper outline, the three different types of carbon

nanotubes.

Materials and Resources:

 Attached carbon nanotube graphene outline paper\

 Attached Student pages

Activities:

 Break students into teams of three (2 minutes).

 Explain that each one student from each team will go to one of the three stations around

the room, each station around the room contains instructions on how to create one type of

carbon nanotube with the necessary graphene outline paper, and that each student will

need to show the other students in their original team how their carbon nanotube is

assembled (5 minutes).

 Allow the students to explore their specific carbon nanotube structure, while the teacher

monitors (20 minutes).

 Bring the students back to their initial teams to share what they have learned (15 minutes)

 Bring the class back together and have the students reflect on what they have

learned/what they liked about the activity or carbon nanotubes. Make sure they
 understand that this was a simulation; real carbon nanotubes are much smaller than we

can distinguish with our human eyes! (8 minutes)

Assessment:

 Brief homework assignment having the students research carbon nanotubes on their own.

Either focus on a product (commercial or theoretical like a space elevator) that utilizes

carbon nanotubes, or the process of creating carbon nanotubes. They can either write a

few paragraphs about the topic, sketch the steps to create the nanotubes or product, make

a scale model of a nanotube/product/one step of the process of making a nanotube.

Wrap up and reflection:

 Learners are able to capture the high points from explaining what they learned to their

other two team members as well as the whole class wrap-up discussion at the end of the

lesson.

 The students are able to see how carbon nanotubes may impact their life from the out of

class assignment where the students research new products that utilize carbon nanotubes,

etc.

 Reflect and determine what went well and what did not to make the lesson more effective

for next time.

 Armchair

The armchair carbon nanotube is named after the shape the blue line makes above. As one

travels vertically across the nanotube the path looked like an armchair to scientists, maybe they

were just Lazyboy’s® (or girls)!

Instructions:

1. See, based on the picture above, if you can recreate an armchair nanotube, if you can

check with your teacher. If not do not worry, just follow the steps below.

2. Locate (0,0) on the graphene sheet.

3. Locate (6,3) on the graphene sheet.

4. Curl the paper such that (0,0) overlaps (6,3).

5. Determine if the pattern matches the above armchair pattern.

6. Tape the carbon nanotube together if you wish.

7. If it does, draw a colored line along the armchair pattern (vertical tracing from above).
 Zig-Zag

The zig-zag carbon nanotube is named after the shape the blue line makes above. As one travels

vertically across the nanotube the path appears to be a zig-zag, kind of like on Charlie Brown’s

shirt!

Instructions:

1. See, based on the picture above, if you can recreate an zig-zag nanotube, if you can check

with your teacher. If not do not worry, just follow the steps below.

2. Curl the graphene sheet as if you were folding the sheet hot-dog style (but do not actually

crease the sheet).

3. Match the row (x, 0) with the row on the far side of the sheet (should be right next to the

(x,0) row now that the paper is curled over).

4. Tape the carbon nanotube together if you wish.

5. Determine if the pattern matches the above armchair pattern.

6. If it does, draw a colored line along the armchair pattern (vertical tracing from above).
 Armchair

The chiral carbon nanotube is because it has no internal symmetry and its mirror image cannot be

oriented to match the initial object (like our hands). As one travels vertically across the nanotube

the path appears to be a mixture of zig-zag and armchair.

Instructions:

1. See, based on the picture above, if you can recreate a chiral nanotube, if you can check

with your teacher. If not do not worry, just follow the steps below.

2. Locate (0,0) on the graphene sheet.

3. Locate (8,3) on the graphene sheet.

4. Curl the paper such that (0,0) overlaps (8,3).

5. Determine if the pattern matches the above armchair pattern.

6. Tape the carbon nanotube together if you wish.

7. If it does, draw a colored line along the chiral pattern (vertical tracing from above).