|News contact:|| Steve McGregor, UTD U. T. Dallas Scientists
Spin Carbon Nanotube Fibers with Record Strength and Toughness
Breakthrough Described in Scientific Journal Promises Host of
Novel Applications, Including Electronic Textiles RICHARDSON,
Texas (June 11, 2003) - Nanotechnology researchers at The
University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and Trinity College, Dublin,
Ireland, have announced a breakthrough in spinning carbon
nanotube composite fibers that are tougher than any reported
polymer fiber made by man or nature. The discovery -- which
could lead to many novel applications, from UTD-demonstrated,
energy-storing "electronic textiles" and artificial muscles to
bullet-proof vests more impenetrable than those now in use--is
outlined in an article in the June 12 issue of the prestigious
scientific journal Nature. In the article, co-authored by nine
scientists, a new process is described for the continuous
spinning of composite fibers of carbon nanotubes, rolled-up
sheets of graphite that are 50,000 times t