2 April 2002

Two unidentified aerospace companies are testing carbon nanotubes - hexagonal arrays of carbon atoms - bulk-produced by Cypriot company Rosseter as a possible aircraft paint additive to strengthen airframes and help negate the effect of lightning strikes.

Limassol-based Rosseter hopes to secure its first aerospace application for the material within a year, says chairman Maria Xenophontos. Carbon nanotubes comprise honeycomb-shaped walls made of single or multiple layers of carbon atoms. The diameter of the hollow cylindrical structure can be 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. However, carbon nanotubes are 100 times stronger than steel, at only one-sixth of the weight, says Xenophontos, adding that carbon nanotubes conduct electricity better than copper.

There is interest from a number of aerospace companies, Xenopontos says, adding that one manufacturer in the USA is testing Rosseter's carbon nanotubes as an additive to aircraft polymer coatings, while a European company has recently started evaluating the material. Carbon nanotubes' strength, high thermal conductivity due to its hollow tube structure, low electrical resistance and light weight make it particularly suitable for aircraft coatings, Rosseter says.

Additional aerospace applications include flat panel displays, allowing smaller displays to be manufactured that require less power and weigh less than current displays. Space applications are also envisaged. Rosseter is selling sample quantities of carbon nanotubes at $20 per g (0.04oz), but expects the price to come down with economies of scale when full production begins.