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ABOUT CARBON
NANOTUBES
Carbon nanotubes are 100,000 times thinner than a human
hair and consist of ‘rolled up’ sheets of carbon hexagons.
Individual carbon nanotubes behave like metals or semiconductors:
they conduct electricity better than copper; transmit heat
better than diamond, and are among the strongest materials
known. When functionalized and dispersed by NCI in a composite material,
carbon nanotubes act like ‘molecular re-bar’, uniquely improving
the host material.
Malcolm Gillis, former president of Rice University, described
how nanotubes will change the way we build things.
"Nanotubes are particularly promising for use in composite
materials, adding immense tensile strength to building materials
and tire treads. Nanotubes are ideal where weight is at a
premium, as in aircraft and spacecraft skin. Twisted different
ways, they act as superior conductors or semi-conductors.
[S]maller ones may make excellent sensors; bigger nanotubes
can withstand much higher temperatures. Already nanotechnology
is assisting Texas' oil industry. For the near future nanofilters
will help oilfield separation, and nano-catalysts could have
a multi-billion dollar impact on refining and processing."
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ABOUT
NANOTECHNOLOGY
Nanotechnology entails building from the bottom up, one molecule
or atom at a time. For more information about the emerging
world of small, please check these sources.
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