Ultra-strong, light-weight conducting cables from carbon nanotubes

Over the last 15 years, there has been much publicity and excitement about the amazing predicted properties of carbon nanotubes and related materials, such as high electrical and thermal conductivity, high axial strength and stiffness, in combination with low density. However, it has turned out to be much more difficult than expected to realise these properties in a large-scale product that can be taken to market. In this talk, I will report on research in our group over last decade on the synthesis of carbon nanotube fibres, including how their properties arise from the molecular structure of the nanotubes, and the limitations imposed by scaling up to high-throughput production. I will focus on a few selected potential applications, from the relatively low tech (mechanical reinforcement of polymers) to those verging on science fiction (space elevator).