Here comes a big challenge to cotton as a fabric! Scientists have discovered a new material which can replace cotton in garments. Scientists have developed a new carbon nanotube-based material that is much stronger than traditional cotton fibres, and can be used in making garments.
According to a paper published in Physical Review Letters, a new material called porous colossal carbon tubes (CCTs) shows all the characteristics that could make it suitable for clothing and a possible replacement of cotton.
Compared to traditional carbon nanotubes (CNTs), these colossal carbon tubes have a much bigger size, in diametre and length. The walls of the colossal tubes are composed of macroscopic rectangular columnar pores and exhibit an ultra low density comparable to that of carbon nanofoams.
The scientists said that the created CCTs have a unique architecture with rectangular macropores across the tube walls and layered crystal structures in the solid walls.
The structure provides several interesting characteristics, such as ultralight weight, extremely high strength, excellent ductility, and high conductivity.
The researchers claim that the material has excellent electrical features, but the mechanics make these colossal carbon tubes especially interesting.
The researchers claim that material is 15 times stronger than the strongest carbon fiber currently known (T1000). The material also revealed 30 times the tenacity of Kevlar and 224 times of individual cotton fibers.
Under stress, the material can deform and can deal with a 3% strain before fracture occurs.
The scientists believe that the similarity to cotton fibres in terms of size are close enough to use conventional textile technologies to create CCT fabrics that are much stronger than any current fabrics.
The scientists also envision self-healing composite structures, medical devices to deliver/release multiple drugs simultaneously, and micro-electromechanical systems as possible application areas for the material.
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