Nanotube Aerogel Can Hold 8000 Times Its Own Weight

Filed in archive Materials on May 25, 2007

Aerogels, usually made from silica, are a material renowned for their extremely high weight-to-strength ratio and thermal insulating properties. Carbon nanotubes are known for their strength-to-weight ratio as well, but also their ability to conduct electricity. Combining the two together results in the advantages of both. The picture to the left shows three tiny nanotube aerogel cubes holding up 100g, about 8000 times their weight. This nanotube aerogel was produced the same way that silica aerogels are produced - freeze-drying a solution of the material suspended in a fluid medium. Nanotube aerogel will be especially useful because it blocks heat, a trait that other nanotube derivatives lack.