English homework .. Please look at the attachment first.

CARBON TUBES 2

Abstract

Castelvecchi, D. (2008, August 30). Carbon tubes leave nano behind. Science News, 174(5),

9-9. Retrieved from http://www.sciencenews.org

This news article for science professionals describes an accidental discovery of “colossal carbon tubes” by Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers. Although the hair-sized tubes are weaker than the nanotubes that have so far dominated carbon fiber research, these remain 30 times stronger than Kevlar and because of size, might be easier to weave together into useful materials. If true, this could be significant: Many geo-engineering plans require cables that can handle a great deal of stress. If colossal tubes are strong enough, these might help us build “space elevators,” which are cables that reach from the planet’s surface into orbit, enabling us to implement space-based solutions to climate change more easily. The tubes even reportedly conduct electricity, which suggests a possible use to tether floating wind turbines and to conduct power to users on the ground, simultaneously. It is not yet clear from the literature whether colossal tubes can do these jobs, but these might be the best contenders discovered so far.