Single-wall nanotubes (SWNT) are tubes of graphite that are normally capped at the ends. They have a single cylindrical wall. The structure of a SWNT can be visualized as a layer of graphite, a single atom thick, called graphene, which is rolled into a seamless cylinder.
Most SWNT typically have a diameter of close to 1 nm. The tube length, however, can be many thousands of times longer.
SWNT are more pliable yet harder to make than MWNT. They can be twisted, flattened, and bent into small circles or around sharp bends without breaking.
SWNT have unique electronic and mechanical properties which can be used in numerous applications, such as field-emission displays, nanocomposite materials, nanosensors, and logic elements. These materials are on the leading-edge of electronic fabrication, and are expected to play a major role in the next generation of miniaturized electronics.
