7 years ago
3
Carbon nanotubes too weak to get a space elevator off the ground
For want of an atom, the space elevator failed. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are famed for being a future wonder material that will enable a swathe of super-strong but light applications from racing bikes to computer components. But now it seems a single out-of-place atom is enough to cut their strength by more than half. That means one of the more outlandish applications for CNT fibres – a sci-fi space elevator – might never happen.
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It seems like our current method of mass-producing CNT fibers is susceptible to these "kinks," and that this isn't an issue with CNT fibers in general. Over time, the manufacturing process will improve, hopefully to a point where these risks are nonexistent.
Then, space elevator!
Yes, but even if you get to the point of being able to reliably manufacture large amounts of nanotubes, there will almost always be defects in mass-produced products. And if just a few atoms out of place is enough to significantly reduce the tensile strength, I don't know if we'll ever be able to reliably use them.
...at the moment.