Chinese scientists have developed a new fiber made from carbon nanotubes that can withstand a tensile load of around 800 tons despite its low weight. Researchers from the Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Reaction Engineering and Technology at Tsinghua University in China have been working on improving carbon nanotubes. They have developed a new fiber that can withstand an extremely high tensile load despite its low weight. The new fiber weighs only 1.6 grams per cubic centimeter but can carry a weight of around 800 tons, equivalent to 160 adult elephants.
According to Yunxiang Bai, the new fiber is much more durable than any other carbon nanotubes developed so far. The new fiber has a tensile strength nine to 45 times higher than comparable materials, as reported in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. NASA has been searching for such a material for the construction of a space elevator, which requires a rope with a tensile strength of at least seven gigapascals. The new fiber has a tensile strength of 80 gigapascals, making it a promising candidate for the construction of a space elevator.
The new carbon nanotube fiber could also be used in other applications, such as mechanical energy storage systems that store energy in flywheels. The high material strength would allow for extreme rotational speeds of the flywheels, achieving a theoretical energy density 40 times higher than that of current lithium-ion batteries. While the feasibility of using the new fiber for a space elevator is still being calculated and simulated, the potential applications of this new material are vast and exciting.
