In conventional carbon fiber-based equipment (tennis racquets, planes, etc.) some material, often an epoxy, holds the fibers together. I haven't read the book, but it may be difficult to hold the fibers together without adding several times their weight. Right now mass-produced nanotubes are around 10 microns long, with exceptional tubes 100 microns to 1 millimeter. Efforts are being made to continuously grow tubes, which would in principle allow arbitrary lengths and less splicing. I consider this a more important obstacle than the slightly-too-low strength of the fibers themselves.
-David
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In conventional carbon fiber-based equipment (tennis racquets, planes, etc.) some material, often an epoxy, holds the fibers together. I haven't read the book, but it may be difficult to hold the fibers together without adding several times their weight. Right now mass-produced nanotubes are around 10 microns long, with exceptional tubes 100 microns to 1 millimeter. Efforts are being made to continuously grow tubes, which would in principle allow arbitrary lengths and less splicing. I consider this a more important obstacle than the slightly-too-low strength of the fibers themselves. -David