Cylinder head
Computers of the future may be made of carbon tubes
NANOTUBES—tiny, hollow cylinders of carbon—have long been a product seeking an application. They are harder than diamond and dozens of times stronger than steel. Make them one way and they will conduct electricity like a metal. Make them another and they act as semiconductors, like the silicon used in transistors. Despite all this, their only employment at the moment is in quotidian things that need to be both light and stiff, such as surfboards and bicycle parts.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Cylinder head”
From the September 28th 2013 edition
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