What Are Carbon Nanotubes?

Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) are made from a graphite-like compound – hence the “carbon,” in the name. The same material that makes everything from coal to pencil ‘lead’ to diamonds can be altered to create a tubular, chicken wire-like sheet of nanoparticles. The nanotube part comes from the way the tubes are formed. They are quite literally ‘sheets’ of graphene which are then rolled into small “tubes,” so small that the term ‘nano’ is fully accurate. CNTs are strong, flexible, lightweight, heat resistant, and have high electrical conductivity. The physical properties of CNTs make them an ideal material for many applications and these uses are likely to continue to expand in the coming years.