ABSTRACT
Epidemic discoveries and innovations in the field of nanotechnology have gifted scientists, researchers, and industrialists acharily twisted nanostructured material called carbon nanotubes, which is much lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel. Carbon nanotubes have superlative electrical properties incomparison to copper (possessing a current-carrying capacity of 1 billion A/cm2). It is believed that carbon nanotubes are the stiffest materials on Earth, with extravagant mechanical properties (Young’s modulus of 1.2 TPa) and tensile strength of (50–200 GPa). Due to the exemplary behavior of carbon nanotubes, their market value is reaching new heights. The merchandizing future of these wonder materials is leading to theestablishment of substantialintellectualproperty rights issues among traders, researchers, and investors,as many people want to makemoney out of carbon nanotubes. The chapter highlights acomplete vision of carbon nanotubes, discussing their history, structure, types, functionalization, dispersion, and nanocomposites. The chapter also gives aglobal scenario of carbon nanotube production analysis, commercialization, and current patents reported by the United States Patent and Trademark Office(USPTO) and European Patent Office(EPO) up toJuly 2019.
