Nanotubes by the Kilo

Reinnette Marek writes "Nanotechnology is no longer fiction; it is fact. Rick Smalley, Nobel laureate, has announced the formation of a company to commercialize the production of single wall carbon nanotubes. These nanotubes are 100 times stronger than steel, have the electrical conducticity of copper OR the semiconductivity of silicon, and the thermal conductivity of diamond. The technology promises to revolutionize flat panel displays, conductive polymers, molecular computers, biomedical devices, and ultra high capacity lithium ion batteries. See article in Science, http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/290/5490/246b."