* What is a Carbon Nanotube?

A “carbon Nanotube" is a tube-shaped material, made of carbon, that has a diameter measuring on the nanometre scale. A nanometre is one one-billionth of a meter, or about one ten-thousandth of the thickness of a human hair. The graphite layer appears somewhat like a rolled-up chicken wire with a continuous unbroken hexagonal mesh and carbon molecules at the apexes of the hexagons. Carbon Nanotubes have many structures, differing in length, thickness, type of helicity, and number of layers. Although they are formed from essentially the same graphite sheet, their electrical characteristics differ depending on these variations, acting either as metals or semiconductors. Carbon Nanotubes typically have a diameter ranging from below 1 nm up to 50 nm. Their length is typically several microns but recent progresses have made them much longer in the centimetre range.

* What are the properties of a Carbon Nanotube?

The measurement on individual tubes of their intrinsic mechanical and transport properties position them as ultimate carbon fibres. The tables below (table 1 and 2) compare these properties to other engineering materials. The best Carbon Nanotubes show a unique combination of stiffness, strength and tenacity compared to other fibre materials which usually lack of one of these properties. Thermal and electrical conductivity is also very high and comparable to other conductive materials.

Table 1. Mechanical properties of engineering fibres

* What are the potential applications for Carbon Nanotubes?

Conductive plastics
Structural composite materials
Flat-panel displays
Gas storage
Micro- and nano-electronics
Radar-absorbing coating
Technical textile
Ultra-capacitors
Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) tips
Batteries with improved lifetime
Biosensors for harmful gases
Extra strong fibres

* What is Nanocyl's method of production ?

Nanocyl uses the "Catalytic Carbon Vapour Deposition" method of production as it allows large scale production and is an industrial process that is well known and hence reliable. Both these characteristics are essential requirements for underpinning a volume commercial business.

* What is the market for Carbon Nanotubes?

According to Cientifica market report in 2004, “a total tonnage of 65 tons of nanotubes and fibers was produced in 2004 which equates at manufacturer’s current prices to €144 million worth. By 2010 this figure will surpass € 3 billion. This represents a compound annual growth rate of well over 60%.”