Any material’s strength is determined by the atomic bonds connecting one atom to another. Carbon atoms have extremely strong bonds. Scientists use nanotechnology to manipulate carbon’s atomic structure to form hollow carbon-based tubes that are approximately 100,000 times thinner than a human hair, stronger that steel and super light.
Researchers at the University of Texas’ Nanotech Institute have developed artificial muscles from carbon nanotubes that can contract 30,000% per second. Human muscles can only contract around 20% per second. These nanotubes can operate at extreme temperatures, which means they would work well for space applications and is one reason why the Air Force Office of Scientific Research has also teamed up in this field. So far, there is no human applications but a “smart skin” could be used on an aircraft giving it the ability to chance its appearance when in danger.
