U.S. scientists said they have grown a single-wall carbon nanotube that is 4 centimeters long — a world record. Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory and two universities created the nanotube — which is only nanometers, or billionths of a meter, wide — using a process called catalytic chemical vapor disposition. Previous versions of carbon nanotubes were only a few millimeters long. Single-wall carbon nanotubes can be spun into fibers or yarns that are more than 10 times stronger than any current material. Because carbon nanotubes are metallic and can conduct electricity, they also could lead to new types of electro-mechanical systems at the nano scale, such as micro-electric motors, diodes, and cables for wiring micro-electronic devices. “Although this discovery is really only a beginning,” the scientists said, “the continued development of longer-length carbon nanotubes could result in nearly endless applications. Actually, the potential uses for long carbon nanotubes are probably limited only by our imagination.” © Copyright 2004 by United Press International

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