The beginning of this story has been told many times. In 1985, a
confluence of events led to an unexpected and unplanned
experiment with a new kind of microscope resulting in the
discovery of a new molecule made purely of carbon – the very
element chemists felt there was nothing more to learn about.
Buckyballs – sixty carbon atoms arranged in a soccer ball shape
– had been discovered and the chemical world, not to mention the
physical and material worlds, would never be the same. A
Versatile Filler for Plastics The mechanical (stiffness,
strength, toughness), thermal and electrical properties of pure
buckytube materials enable a multitude of applications, from
batteries and fuel cells to fibres and cables to pharmaceutics
and biomedical materials. Scores of additional applications
emerge when one thinks of blending nanotubes with other
materials to improve existing properties or to provide new ones.
Using nanotubes as fillers in thermoplastics and thermosets, for
example, has been discussed for several years,