Carbon Nanotubes

JUN 01, 1996

Seamless cylindrical shells of graphitic carbon have novel mechanical and electronic properties that suggest new high‐strength fibers, submicroscopic test tubes and, perhaps, new semiconductor materials

DOI: 10.1063/1.881603

Thomas W. Ebbesen

Carbon is an extraordinary element, considering the diversity of materials it forms. Ranging from sparkling gems to sooty filth, these materials have been studied and used for centuries, and carbon science was long thought to be a mature field. So when a whole new class of carbon materials—the fullerenes, such as $C_{60}$ —appeared in the last decade, many scientists were surprised. The consequences have reached well beyond the fullerenes themselves to include major changes in our concepts and understanding of long‐known carbon materials. It is in this context that the story of carbon nanotubes starts.

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More about the authors

Thomas W. Ebbesen, NEC Fundamental Research Laboratory in Tsukuba, japan.