Carbon Nanotubes twice as strong as Once thought

摘要

Carbon nanotubes, the tiny particles poised to revolutionize electronics, medicine, and other areas, are much bigger in the strength department than anyone ever thought, scientists are reporting. New studies on the strength of these submicroscopic cylinders of carbon indicate that on an ounce-for-ounce basis they are at least 117 times stronger than steel and 30 times stronger than Kevlar, the material used in bulletproof vests and other products. The findings, which could expand commercial and industrial applications of nanotube materials, appear in ACS Nano. Stephen Cronin and colleagues point out that nanotubes, barely 1/50,000th the width of a human hair, have been renowned for exceptional strength, high electrical conductivity, and other properties.