Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are to be found everywhere. They can be found in your clothes, shoes, hair, and on your skin. We are surrounded by them, including in your very home. They have been around for a few years but only recently have scientists become aware of their many potential uses. Now they are becoming the hottest item in the Nanotechnology market.
Carbon nanotubes are the building blocks of high performance fibers. The material they are made of has the potential to replace all kinds of traditional materials such as nylon and silk and can be used for everything from treadmills to space shuttles. There is no limit what you can do with these materials and once the discovery is made there will be endless possibilities.
One of the most exciting uses of multi walled carbon nanotubesright now is the ability to drug companies manufacture drugs that are three times as effective as the drugs they are currently producing. This could mean an acceleration in the pace of recovery for patients that are currently ill or damaged. The introduction of four new drugs last year that utilize carbon nanotube technology has meant enormous strides forward. It was also discovered that if the material is combined with gold that the result can be ten times as effective.
Other applications include coating the inside of food with a substance that prevents bacteria from thriving inside the stomach. It is currently being studied in animals to see if it is similarly successful. Once this has been discovered, it will almost certainly find its way into supermarkets and the kitchens of those who eat the majority of their meals.
As amazing as all of this is, carbon nanotubes are not going to be the answer to every problem that humans face. There are some limitations to what they can do. For example, they cannot heal tissue damage like a band-aid will. They cannot repair nerve damage like a surgeon can. And they are not particularly good at penetrating the skin. These limitations, coupled with the fact that they are so long and porous, make them a poor choice when it comes to repairing tissue damage.
But they have incredible strength, and that is what they are best used for. And because they are coated with different types of metal oxides, they become even more durable than pure carbon. That is why they are so frequently used as the major component in protective coatings for automobiles. In fact, some car manufacturers will have you add the metal oxide coating to the paint after your car has been damaged by a collision. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are definitely fascinating, and potentially incredibly useful.
