The heat is off

Researchers at Cambridge University have made a breakthrough in the manufacture of carbon nanotubes. They claim it heralds the beginning of the end for the silicon industry and the start of a new era of carbon nanotube-based miniaturised electronic applications.

The team from the university's engineering department has developed a way of growing single-wall carbon nanotubes at far lower temperatures than was previously believed possible.

The benefits of using carbon nanotubes in electronics has been known for some time. As one of the strongest materials known, they exhibit incredible strength, and their unique properties mean they can theoretically withstand an electrical current density more than 1,000 times greater than silver or copper.

For this reason carbon nanotubes are seen as the future of the electronics industry and according to Cambridge researcher Dr Mirco Cantoro, nanotubes will eventually replace silicon as the dominant electronics technology. He believes his team's work is the first big step towards this.