Sheets of Cheap Carbon Nanotubes Now A Reality (Jason Mick)

 Company makes 3x6 ft carbon nanotube sheets, 100 sq. ft. sheets by the end of the summer; possible uses include consumer electronics, aircraft, and spacecraft

Carbon nanotubes are like a materials scientists' dream come true -- superior heat and electrical conduction, high strength to weight ratio, and flame resistance orders of magnitude higher than many commonly used materials. 

However, in the past, while these tiny tube-molecules composed carbon atoms were raved about by researchers, plans for practical applications remained largely in the realm of fantasy.  The chief problem was the "nano" part of the nanotubes -- these tiny tubes would need to be scaled to visible-sized pieces of material in order to be utilized in many practical devices.  Such scaling  had enjoyed little previous success, and was seen as a major roadblock to putting the ubiquitous nanotubes to work.

Now a breakthrough from Nanocomp Technologies, a New Hampshire startup, promises to provide sheets composed of carbon nanotubes on an unprecedented scale.  Using nanotubes measuring in the tens of nanometers, Nanocomp produces sheets of carbon nanotubes measuring 3 by 6 feet.  Better yet, by the end of the summer the company is promising slabs of 100 square feet or more.

Nanocomp says that the days of waiting for nanotubes materials to be manufactured on a usable scale are over.  The company is taking production seriously, and is not looking to remain in the realm of pure research.  Says CEO and co-founder of Nanocomp, Peter Antoinette, "From the get-go, we wanted to build something that would be manufacturable.  We’re out to make value-added components out of that material."

Read More: Daily Tech