New Threadlike Carbon Nanotube Fiber Unveiled

Zothecula writes "At about 100 times the strength of steel and a sixth the weight, with impressive electrical conductive properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have promised much since their discovery in 1991. The problem has been translating their impressive nanoscale properties into real-world applications on the macro scale. Researchers have now unveiled a new CNT fiber that conducts heat and electricity like a metal wire, is very strong like carbon fiber, and is flexible like a textile thread."

Comments

Awesome!

[Conspiracy_Of_Doves]

When do we start building the space elevator?

Re:Awesome!

[ShanghaiBill]

TFA says it's as strong as carbon fiber, which suggests that they couldn't translate the strenght of nanotubes into macroscale perfectly.

The common claim that CNTs are "100 times the strength of steel" is basically baloney. Sure, they are that strong at the molecular level. But at the molecular level, even iron-iron bonds are far stronger than steel. If we ever figure out how to control the structure of materials so that the strength of individual chemical bonds is preserved in bulk materials, then we would not only have stronger carbon fibers, but we would also have stronger steel.

Re:Make a white suit out of it

[ArcadeMan]

The parent is probably referring to this movie.

Re:"100 times the strength"

[ArcadeMan]

They gave a line made of CNT to birds to see if they were able to carry a coconut with it.

Re:How strong?

[ShanghaiBill]

Probably not... but copper and aluminium are finite resources. Sooner or later, we'll run out. Carbon, on the other hand, we have no shortage of.

Actually, in the Earth's crust, aluminum is more common than carbon by a factor of about 200. Only oxygen and silicon are more common. Source.