Carbon Nanotubes as a Cradle of Impulse for Implantable Medical Devices

Fredrick Johnson.J1,Karthick.M1, Sathiesh Kumar S.3, Gopu G.4

1

IEEE Student Member, Department of Biomedical Engineering

3
Assistant Professor Department of Nanotechnology
4
Professor & Head Department of Biomedical Engineering
Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, Coimbatore-641022.
Email: Fredrickjohnson7@gmail.com,biomedical.karthick@gmail.com
Abstract The Most thought-provoking part of Nano
Technology is using the CNT (Carbon Nano Tubes) as a cradle
for converting Fluid Dynamic Energy(FDE) into Electrical
Energy(EE).The ability of the CNT to entertain as a
semiconductor or a metal impressively depends on the
diameter on which it is rolled and its chirality. The flow of a
liquid on CNT bundle induces a voltage in the sample along
the direction of flow which is a very novel effect. The Columbic
interaction between the ions in the liquid and the charge
carriers in the nanotube plays a key role in electrical
generation that obeys the Bernoulli's principle and Seeback
effect. The magnitude of Voltage depends significantly on the
Ionic strength of the flowing liquid. The Expected Potential
Drop will be a minimum of 30mv to 60mv.The flow induced
current on the surface of CNT thin films are prominently
dependent on the angular velocity, concentration, properties
and temperature of the liquid. The CNTs will be fabricated on
Si (Silicon) substrate by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).
The CNT are placed in an Fabricated Substrate surrounded
by the insulating material. The Electrodes on the either side of
CNT picks up the Electrical Drift in the custom of Potential
gradient. CNT on Interaction with Bio Fluids generates a
Potential which can be amplified and Transmitted through the
Nanowires that would serve for driving the Implantable
Medical Devices. Biocompatibility, environmental impacts and
other Biological Factors of CNT in the Human Body is to be
studied by the results of implementation into the Animals and
from further research; this New Technology can be
deliberated as one of the most fascinating invention.
Consequently this approach overlooks the Patient Hiking to
the Operation Theatre (OT) Intermittently.
Keywords CNT, Fluid Dynamics, Angular Velocity,
Potential Drift, Biocompatibility.

I. INTRODUCTION

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) were discovered by Ijima, via

the arc-discharge Process in 1991 [1]. Carbon nanotubes
(CNTs) are pure carbon in nanostructures with unique
physico-chemical properties.They are cylindricalcarbon
nanostructures, one atom in wall thickness and tens of
atoms around the circumference, with typical diameters ~
1.4 nm. The nanotube can be thought of as a graphene sheet

rolled up as a cylinder.The properties are attributed mainly

to the helical symmetry of the carbon atoms arranged
around the cylindrical structure. They have brought
significant breakthroughs in different fields such as
materials, electronic devices, energy storage, separation,
sensors, etc. [2]. Use of self-powered devices is more
attractive in both academic and Industry. In the past decade,
the research on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is
particularly active and fruitful because SWNTs represent
the ultimate form of carbon nanotubes, and especially
because of their interesting properties, both predicted
theoretically and demonstrated experimentally [3]. It has a
wide spectrum of applications in the fields of composites,
electronics, thermal phenomena and bio-medical systems [4,
5]. The outstanding structural, mechanical and electronic
properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) make them very
attractive for various applications in modern Nano devices.
But in order to take full advantage of their properties and to
extend the scope of their applications .CNTs are often need
to be modified and integrated with other materials. A crucial
step towards modification of CNTs is the functionalization
of their relatively inert sidewalls by attachment of reactive
surface species. [6].
II. SYNTHESIS OF CARBON NANO TUBES

A. Chemical Vapor Deposition Technique

The carbon nanotubes will be grown on ceramic
substrates placed in a tubular furnace. The substrate coated
with a thin layer of iron oxide, acts as the catalyst. The
substrate, after the growth period, taken out of the furnace,
the products are scraped from it and purified to separate out
the carbon nanotubes.
Coating process: The substrate (a ceramic slab of
dimension (2 cm2 cm 0.01 cm) placed on the upper side
of the coating apparatus and the catalyst taken in a
molybdenum boat. The substrate is initially subjected to ion
cleaning by creating a plasma atmosphere inside the
vacuum chamber using high voltage electric current. A thin
layer of Fe2O3 catalyst is formed on the substrate when the

J. Goh (ed.), The 15th International Conference on Biomedical Engineering, IFMBE Proceedings 43,
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-02913-9_116, Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014

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Carbon Nanotubes as a Cradle of Impulse for Implantable Medical Devices

iron oxide is electrically heated and vaporized. The catalyst

vapors move upwards and get deposited on the
comparatively cooler substrate surface, thus attaining the
catalyst coating on the substrate.
Synthesis Environment: CNT synthesis procedure used
in [23] is adopted in this work. Acetylene gas is used as the
carbon precursor. Argon gas is used to maintain an inert
atmosphere.The ceramic substrate with the catalyst is placed
in a silicon boat at the center of the quartz tube. The furnace
is switched on, and an initial temperature of 500 C set.
Argon gas (12 lph) is passed for 50 min to deoxygenate the
system. After this, the argon current will be stopped and
hydrogen (3 lph) is passed for 40 min for reducing the iron
oxide to iron. This is followed by acetylene (4.2 lph), which
is to be passed for 30 min. After the reaction period,
acetylene supply is stopped and argon is passed again, while
the furnace is cooled for one hour. After this, air-cooling is
applied for a period of another hour. In order to benchmark
the theoretical results and to observe the parametric effect,
carbon nanotubes is prepared at two different furnace
temperatures of 850 K and 950 K. The crude carbon
nanotube sample produced consists of catalytic and
amorphous carbon impurities, which can be removed using
various purification methods.
Purification Methods: CNT purification methods used
in [24] is adopted in this work. A wet purification method is
being used in the present investigation. The method
involves three stages namely wet purification with HNO3
solution, wet purification with H2O2 solution and drying.
The first step comprises of mixing the crude carbon
nanotube of nitric acid, followed by agitation using
ultrasonic waves and filtering to remove the metallic carbon
impurities. The second step involves immersing the crude
carbon nanotube from the first step in hydrogen peroxide
solution followed by ultrasonic agitation, and then filtering
to remove amorphous carbon. The purified carbon
nanotubes are then dried in a desiccator for one day, with
calcium chloride desiccant, to obtain the dried carbon
nanotubes.
III. CHARACTRIZTION TECHNIQUES

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Fig. 1 Front View of the substrate for tapping potential drift in CNT
Tapping Expected Potential Drift:
The Synthesized CNTs will be fabricated on a specially
designed substrate with three layers in it. Consequently the
head and end layer are insulating in nature and the middle
layer is conductive, from which the Electrodes to the
Electrochemical Workstation are positioned is shown in the
Fig 1.The CNT are coated in the central locus since they
possess superconductive behavior through which the Bio
Fluids are flown and tested. Fig 2. explains the CNT placed
or coated on another material surface as the capillary bed
along the direction of Bio Fluid Flow. The consecutive
Ionic interaction on the surface of the CNT occurs. Kral
and Shapiro et al [7] theoretically proved the generation of
electric current in Carbon Nano Tubes immersing in a
flowing Liquid.
A.K.Sood et al [8] reports the experimental observation
of the voltage generated by the flow of a polar liquid over
Single Walled Carbon Nano Tube (SWNT) Bundles. It was
observed that the induced voltage tends to saturate at flow
velocities as low as 10-5 m/s with 0.65mv generation. This
led to voltage based on pulsating asymmetrical thermal
ratchet model. The Bio Fluid Ions that could interact with
the CNTare namely Na+,K+,Ca2+,Mg2+[9]. Majorly Lymph
of 6 to 10 Liters and Blood of 3.5 to 5.5 Liters full fills the
idea of flowing on the surface of SWNT reporting the
velocity gradient (shear) at the Liquid-Solid Interface.Both
the Intracellular and Extracellular Fluids serve with this
property. The Flow induced current is relatively weak
independent on the Liquid Viscosity.

The carbon nanotubes synthesized were characterized

using Particle Size analyzer for determining the size of the
particle, X Ray Diffraction with Small Angle scattering and
polycrystalline , FT-IR Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron
Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy
(TEM).

Fig. 2.Top View of the substrate with CNT Flow Dynamics

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J. Fredrick Johnson et al.

Fig. 3.Bio Fludic Ions Movement over the surface of the CNT
Simulated Structure
Fig. 5.FT-IR Analysis Report
IV. IRON OXIDE SYNTHESIS
V. CNT GROWTH ON IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE

Procedure: Iron Oxide is prepared using the CoPrecipitation method with Ammonium Ferrous sulphate of
0.01M and Iron (III) Chloride of 0.02M as precursor. Cetyl
Tri methyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) is used as a
surfactant to confine the size of the products at Nano Scale.
Liquor Ammonia is used as reducing agent, which is added
to the precursor solution under constant stirring. The
precipitate was washed using ultra centrifuge and dried at
1050 C overweight.
Fe(NH4)(SO4)2.H2O + 2FeCl3 + 8NHOH 
FeO4 + 6NH4Cl + 4H2O + 2(NH4)2SO4
(I)
Characterization: The Dried out sample is collected and
tested for the size. Fig. 4 shows the Particle Size Analysis
result of Iron Oxide obtained with an average size of
148.5nm.Fig. 5 shows the FT IR Analysis report that the
peak 750cm-1 range was due to stretching of metal oxide
bonds, the range between 1500-1600cm-1 and 34003600cm-1 was due to hydroxide group.

Direct growth of CNTs on stainless steel has been

recently studied by using enhanced CVD methods [10].
These methods benefit from the possibility of relatively low
operating temperature and rely on surface treatment by
plasma for the formation of nanoparticlelike roughness
providing catalytic sites. Obviously, SWNTs Bio
Compatibility testing is done by means of making it attuned
to the Bodys Richness.Vander Wal et al. tried to grow
CNTs directly on 304 stainless steel meshes with different
surface pretreatments such as oxidation, oxidation
reduction and laser ablation oxidation. Similarly the SWNT
can be grown in this method also.For example, Ghosh et
al.[11] have recently reported that the flow of liquids such
as water, methanol, water glycerol mixtures, and HCl
solutions on single-walled carbon nanotube bundles induces
a voltage in the sample alongthe direction of the flow that
varies proportionally with the log of the liquid flow velocity
over nearly six decades of velocity.
Bonthuis D J et al [12,13] proved flow through tiny
capillaries; the electrostatic boundary conditions strongly
influence the permeability to charged species. The
electrostatics of a small channel embedded in a medium of
very low dielectric constant leads to a large self-energy
barrier for ions to enter the confined region. In many
biological channels, transport of ions is facilitated by
inclusion of fixed charges in the channel.
VI. BIOCOMPATABILITY OF CARBON NANO TUBES

Fig. 4.Particle Size Analysis report for Iron Oxide size -148.5nm

However, before such materials can be incorporated

into new and existing biomedical devices, the toxicity and
biocompatibility of CNT needs to be thoroughly
investigated. For the purposes of this review,
biocompatibility will be defined as the ability of a material
to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific
application [14].Carbon-based biomaterials are not new.

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Carbon Nanotubes as a Cradle of Impulse for Implantable Medical Devices

Pyrolytic carbon has been used for several decades in

biomedical implants and coatings, particularly in the
manufacture of heart valve prostheses [15].A small number
of in vivo tests have been conducted on Diamond Like
Carbon (DLC) coatings [16, 17,18].Current carbon-based
biomaterials clearly demonstrate excellent biocompatibility
and it is hoped that the impressive properties of CNT can be
exploited in biomedical devices safely and effectively
[19].Muller et al.[20] investigated the effect of intra tracheal
instilled MWCNT on the pulmonary function of rats.
Animals were exposed to 0.5, 2 and 5 mg of purified and
ground MWCNT (purified MWCNT ground in an
oscillatory ball mill to reduce CNT aggregation) and
monitored for up to 60 days. Asbestos and carbon black
were used for comparison. Rats (SpragueDawley, female)
were studied using BAL, inflammatory and fibrotic
markers, Bio Persistence tests, and Histopathological
examination. These researchers observed dose-dependent
inflammation and granuloma formation, however, unlike
previous studies[21]the inflammation was not transient,
persisting for the full 60 days. Shvedova et al. [22]reported
the first cytotoxicity study on CNT in 2003. These
researchers investigated the effects of unrefined SWCNT on
immortalized
human
epidermal
keratinocytes
(HaCaT).HaCaT cells were incubated for up to 18 h in
media containingunrefined SWCNT (0.060.24 mg/mL).
VII. CONCLUSIONS

CNT have been a plethora of applications proposed in the

biomedical field alone. However, such materials can be
successfully incorporated into biomedical implants. Early
biocompatibility data for CNT and novel Nano-structured
biomaterials suggest that the scientific community could
remain cautiously enthused by potential biomedical
applications of CNT-based materials. Finally, Impulse
Power Source for Implantable Medical Device which is
based on SWNT Property directly produces an electrical
signal inresponse to a fluid flow. We believe that this
approach can be scaled down to length dimension in the
order of micrometersi.e., the length of the individual
nanotubes making it usable in very small Bio fluidic
volumes. The nanotubes also could be used to make a
Sensor /Lab on Chip in a flowing liquid environment, which
will have interesting biomedical applications.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like extend sincere Thanks to SNR Sons
Charitable Trust, Department of Nano Technology, and
Department of Biomedical Engineering of Sri Ramakrishna
Engineering College for supporting both by knowledge and
wealth. We also wish to thank our collaborators and the
Almighty who stands always with us.

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Author: Prof.G.Gopu
Institute: Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College
Street: Vattamalaipalayam NGGO Colony (PO)
City:
Coimbatore
Country: India
Email: gopugovindasamy@gmail.com

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