Nanotechnology: Spinning continuous carbon nanotube yarns

KAILI JIANG, QUNQING LI & SHOUSHAN FAN

Department of Physics and Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

e-mail: fss-dmp@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

The creation of continuous yarns made out of carbon nanotubes would enable macroscopic nanotube devices and structures to be constructed. Here we show that carbon nanotubes can be self-assembled into yarns of up to 30 cm in length simply by being drawn out from superaligned arrays of carbon nanotubes, and that the strength and conductivity of these yarns can be enhanced by heating them at high temperatures. Our findings should help to translate the remarkable mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of carbon nanotubes to a macroscopic scale.

Source: Nature, October 24, 2002 (Nature 419, 801 (2002);); doi:10.1038/419801a)

http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v419/n6909/abs/419801a_fs.html

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This technology may be directly applicable someday to the construction of a functional Skyhook Space Launcher. See my website Starship Generations (http://geocities.com/womplex_oo1/StarshipGenerations.html), topic # 9.

now this is cool.

can I get a sweatshirt?

How much does it cost? THis means nothing if they can't mass produce the stuff.

With good enough robotics and programming you can mass produce anything that scientists can make in the lab.