| Carbon nanotubes have extraordinary mechanical strength properties. Stiffness, toughness, and strength are typical for carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes actually are the stiffest known fiber. They have tensile strength of 100 GPa and maybe even more. For comparison, the tensile strength of high-strength steel is only 1 or 2 GPa. Properties of Carbon Nanotubes The toughness of carbon nanotubes has been proved in simulations. Remarkable for such a stiff material, the carbon nanotubes can be doubled over, snapping back with no resulting defect. These properties lead to a wealth of applications exploiting them, including advanced composites requiring high values in one or more of these properties. Applications and Nanocyl Solutions Typical applications using the mechanical reinforcement properties of carbon nanotubes are sporting materials like squash rackets and golf balls, or bicycle handlebars and hockey blades. Carbon Nanotube Fibres Fibres spun of pure carbon nanotubes have recently been demonstrated and are undergoing rapid development, along with carbon nanotube composite fibres. Such super strong fibres will have applications including body and vehicle armour, transmission line cables, woven fabrics and textiles. |