Carbon Nanotubes (CNT), discovered in 1991, have amazing mechanical, thermal and electrical conductivity, as well as excellent field emission properties. Actual uses of CNT are already about to be numerous (car industry, sport accessories, etc.), and future applications are foreseen to be in constant development. Right now, the very same properties that make CNT very attractive raise questions about their potential toxicity, possible long-term secondary effects, and/or biodegradability. Physico-chemical properties of CNT seem to be critical not only for their potential applications, but also for their biological and toxicological effects. However, a comprehensive and systematic understanding of this subject still needs to be acquired, particularly when considering the very promising biomedical applications of CNT.

The general aim of this conference is, thanks to its pluridisciplinary approach, to give the different actors of CNT research (physicists, chemists, biologists) the proper level of knowledge required to discuss with the other participants and understand each other correctly. Therefore, the conference will propose lectures accessible to scientists of different fields, as well as more specialized lectures in each domain of interest, including the most recent advances on the subject. Particular attention will be given to accessibility and exchange of competences between the disciplines. Specifically, the program of this conference focuses on four general topics that are considered by the scientific committee as major axes of CNT research:

1)    Synthesis/characterization of CNT

2)    CNT chemistry

3)    Biomedicine

4)    Biological and environmental effects of CNT