Colossal carbon tube
Encyclopedia
Colossal carbon tubes are a tubular form of carbon
. In contrast to the carbon nanotube
s (CNTs), colossal carbon tubes have much larger diameters ranging between 40 and 100 μm. Their walls have a corrugated structure with abundant pores, as in corrugated fiberboard, where the solid membranes have a graphite-like layered structure.
CCTs have technologically attractive properties such as ultralight weight, extremely high strength, excellent ductility and high conductivity - which make them possibly suitable for clothing. They are excellent conductors, are 15 times stronger than the strongest carbon fiber (T1000), have 30 times the tenacity
of Kevlar and are 224 times stronger than individual cotton fibers. The tubes exhibit an ultra low density comparable to that of carbon nanofoam
s.
CCTs have a tensile strength of 7 GPa, and a high specific strength
(tensile strength per density), and a breaking length of 6.0 km. It exceeds the specific strength of the strongest carbon nanotube. This strength is sufficient to support a space elevator
if retained in a fabricated macroscale structure.
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
. In contrast to the carbon nanotube
Carbon nanotube
Carbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure. Nanotubes have been constructed with length-to-diameter ratio of up to 132,000,000:1, significantly larger than for any other material...
s (CNTs), colossal carbon tubes have much larger diameters ranging between 40 and 100 μm. Their walls have a corrugated structure with abundant pores, as in corrugated fiberboard, where the solid membranes have a graphite-like layered structure.
CCTs have technologically attractive properties such as ultralight weight, extremely high strength, excellent ductility and high conductivity - which make them possibly suitable for clothing. They are excellent conductors, are 15 times stronger than the strongest carbon fiber (T1000), have 30 times the tenacity
Tenacity
Tenacity is the customary measure of strength of a fiber or yarn. In the U.S. it is usually defined as the ultimate strength of the fiber divided by the denier....
of Kevlar and are 224 times stronger than individual cotton fibers. The tubes exhibit an ultra low density comparable to that of carbon nanofoam
Carbon nanofoam
Carbon nanofoam is an allotrope of carbon discovered in 1997 by Andrei V. Rode and co-workers at the Australian National University in Canberra. It consists of a low-density cluster-assembly of carbon atoms strung together in a loose three-dimensional web....
s.
CCTs have a tensile strength of 7 GPa, and a high specific strength
Specific strength
The specific strength is a material's strength divided by its density. It is also known as the strength-to-weight ratio or strength/weight ratio. In fiber or textile applications, tenacity is the usual measure of specific strength...
(tensile strength per density), and a breaking length of 6.0 km. It exceeds the specific strength of the strongest carbon nanotube. This strength is sufficient to support a space elevator
Space elevator
A space elevator, also known as a geostationary orbital tether or a beanstalk, is a proposed non-rocket spacelaunch structure...
if retained in a fabricated macroscale structure.