From nanoscale to macroscale: applications of nanotechnology to production of bulk ultra-strong materials

TL;DR

This paper discusses methods to assemble carbon nanotubes into long, bulk materials that retain their exceptional strength and electrical properties, bridging the gap from nanoscale to macroscale applications.

Contribution

It proposes novel approaches for combining nanotubes to produce ultra-strong, long-length bulk materials while preserving their unique physical properties.

Findings

Proposals for nanotube assembly methods

Potential for creating macroscale ultra-strong materials

Maintaining properties during scale-up

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes have been famous since their discovery twenty years ago for their remarkable physical properties, from strength a hundred times higher than steel, to electrical current capacity a 1,000 times higher than copper. But so far they have only been produced at most up to centimeter lengths. Here are presented some proposals to combine the nanotubes in such a way to get arbitrarily long lengths while maintaining their extraordinary physical properties.