The field of nanotechnology is not a particularly new one. In fact, it has been developing fairly rapidly for over 30 years; however nanotechnology is still rather recent and unfamiliar in the public eye, and it is still a rather new field of study in most universities.
The potential market for plastics compounded with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is huge. But questions are being asked about health and safety.
A quick look at the nanocomposites world may leave the observer with the impression that it''s all talk and little action. The number of commercial applications running with nanoclays that have been made public can probably be numbered on the fingers of one hand.
So this may come as a surprise: Hyperion Catalysis (Cambridge, MA), the world''s leading supplier of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), says that roughly 60% of all cars built in the U.S. today incorporate its product in fuel lines to stop the accumulation of static electricity. It says it has achieved this impressive market position because nanotube-containing compounds simplify production of the fuel lines (obviating complicated coextrusion) at a cost competitive with other solutions.
These nanotubes—Hyperion''s trade name is Fibrils—are also found in some compounds used for exterior body parts, enabling them to be electrostatically painted without affecting the ductility of the thermoplastic. They are also widely used in electronics for such products as hard disc drive trays and wafer carriers, where their resistance to sloughing puts them ahead of other conductive fillers like carbon black.
