nanotube

The definition of a nanotube is a cylinder-shaped molecule of carbon that is one to two nanometers in diameter.

Facts About Nanotubes

• A nanotube can be any length.
• They have 10 times the tensile strength of steel.
• They are believed to bre the strongest material available for their weight.
• Frequently used to strengthen plastics or to replace silicon in electronic circuits.
• Two soviet scientists first wrote about nanotubes in 1952; however, it was not until 1991 that Sumio Iijima, a Japanese physicist, was credited with the discovery of nanotubes for which he was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics in 2002.