Advances in Carbon Nanotubes

[Astronuc]

The Original Nano Workout: Helping Carbon Nanotubes Get Into Shape
http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=2186

Troy, N.Y. — Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method of compacting carbon nanotubes into dense bundles. These tightly packed bundles are efficient conductors and could one day replace copper as the primary interconnects used on computer chips and even hasten the transition to next-generation 3-D stacked chips.

Theoretical studies show that carbon nanotubes, if packed closely enough together, should be able to outperform copper as an electrical conductor. But because of the way carbon nanotubes are grown — in sparse nanoscale “forests” where carbon molecules compete for growth-inducing catalysts — scientists have been unable to successfully grow tightly packed bundles.