Carbon Nanotubes

Engineers have turned tissue paper - similar to toilet tissue - into a new kind of wearable sensor that can detect a pulse, a blink of an eye and other human movement. The sensor is light, flexible and inexpensive, with potential applications in health care, entertainment and robotics.

Sometimes it seems as if fresh fruits, vegetables and meats go bad in the blink of an eye. Consumers are left feeling frustrated, often turning to less expensive processed foods that last longer but are less nutritious.

Imagine an electronic newspaper that you could roll up and spill your coffee on, even as it updated itself before your eyes. It's an example of the technological revolution that has been waiting to happen, except for one major problem that, until now, scientists have not been able to resolve.

The discovery could open up wide-ranging possibilities for designing new, easy-to-manufacture composites for optical devices, electronic systems, and high-tech materials.

A simple filtration process helped researchers create flexible, wafer-scale films of highly aligned and closely packed carbon nanotubes.

Manufacture of longer, thinner, and uncontaminated carbon nanotubes, and successfully isolating them, have been ongoing challenges for researchers.

Research demonstrates carbon nanotubes creating wafer-thin, flat structures that enable the miniaturisation of a range of optical devices.

Carbon nanotubes grown in a furnace aren't always straight. Sometimes they curve and kink, and sometimes they branch off in several directions.

This hybrid could take the place of silicon as the traditional transistor material used in electronic chips, since carbon nanotubes are more transparent, flexible, and can be processed at a lower cost.