Final answer:
A (10,3) carbon nanotube's chiral properties influence its electrical behavior, with its chiral angle and diameter determining whether it is a conductor or a semiconductor. Carbon nanotubes are used in various applications due to their mechanical and electrical properties.
Step-by-step explanation:
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are cylinders of carbon atoms that represent an intermediate form between graphite and fullerenes. The chiral properties of a carbon nanotube, including the chiral vector (n,m), chiral angle, and tube diameter, influence whether the nanotube behaves as a conductor or a semiconductor. For a (10,3) carbon nanotube, we estimate its chiral angle and diameter using the chiral vector components. These values are calculated based on the atomic structure of graphene and the manner in which it transitions into a tubular form. The chiral vector is essentially the circumference vector of the nanotube's cylindrical structure.
The statement "Crystal structures of carbon nanotube can exhibit either semiconducting or metallic behavior depending only on the diameter and angle of lattice" refers to the concept that electron transport properties of nanotubes are affected by their geometrical structure. If a nanotube's chiral angle aligns with certain 'magic' angles, it can be metallic; otherwise, the tube is typically semiconducting. Applications for carbon nanotubes are vast due to their unique properties, including use in nanoelectronics, materials science, and medicine as strong and lightweight materials or drug delivery systems, respectively.