PitchBookAli JavaheriAnalyst,Emerging TechnologyEMERGING SPACE BRIEFali.javaheri@pitchbook.comCarbon NanotubesOriginally published on January 18,2024Trending companiesOverviewCarbon nanotubes (CNTs)are nanoscale sheets of graphene rolled into a cylindricalCnanotube.CNTs have special features and abilities,some of which are similar to graphitewhile others come from their tube-like,one-dimensional shape.Depending on theirLEVIDIANmechnano.specific structure,CNTs can behave like metals or semiconductors,which are key inelectronic devices.Metallic CNTs,in particular,can conduct electricity over 1000xbetter than common metals,such as copper.They have a unique way of conductingnanocyelectricity that makes them extremely efficient and mobile,surpassing manystandard semiconductors.Carbon nanotubes VCCNTs are much stronger than steel,and they conduct heat better than diamond.deal activityThey also have a very high sur face area relative to their size,which makes them37quite light and strong.CNTs are also highly stable and can resist most chemical353435reactions,unless they are exposed to high heat and oxygen.These propertiesmake CNTs excellent for a wide range of applications,including various electroniccomponents,sensors,batteries,and materials for protecting against electricity.BackgroundThe history of CNTs is a tapestry of discovery and debate.The material's originscan be traced back to 1952 when Soviet scientists L.V.Radushkevich and V.M.Lukyanovich published images of nanometer-sized carbon tubes,though this earlywork was largely overlooked due to limited access to Soviet scientific research for201820192020202120222023Western colleagues.2 The term "carbon nanotubes"was coined by Sumio lijima in■Deal value(M)-Deal count1991 when he observed needle-like carbon structures under an electron microscope,which he identified as multiwalled carbon nanotubes.Single-walled variants wereSource:PitchBook.Geography:Globaldiscovered shortly after in 1993.The theoretical predictions and subsequentexperimental confirmations of CNTs'unique electrical properties fueled a surgein research and potential industrial applications,making them a cornerstone ofnanotechnology and materials science.31