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Supercomputer Simulations Reveal Strongest Carbon Nanotubes

17 September 2001 -- A team of researchers lead by Vincent Crespi, the Downsborough Associate Professor of Physics at Penn State University, has used computer simulations to discover carbon fibers with mechanical strength comparable to that of diamond. In a paper published in today’s Physical Review Letters, Crespi, graduate student Dragan Stojkovic, and recent Ph.D. graduate Peihong Zhang report that they discovered incredibly strong and stiff carbon tubes about 0.4 nanometers in diameter. The so-called nanotubes could theoretically be made from simple starting materials."This new fiber hasn’t been synthesized yet," said Crespi, "but several physicists and chemists are interested in making them, and they may prove very useful in nanotechnology applications."

CAPTION:

A computer-generated image of the structure of a carbon nanotube. Image courtesy of Vincent Crespi and Dragan Stojkovic, Penn State.

CONTACTS:
Vincent Crespi, Pennsylvania State University (814) 863-0163
Barbara K. Kennedy, Pennsylvania State University, 814-863-4682 or 814-863-8453, science@psu.edu
Rex Graham, San Diego Supercomputer Center, (858) 822-5408, rgraham@sdsc.edu