MATERIALS SCIENCE: Putting a New Spin on Carbon Nanotubes.

Nanotube fibers are expected to have a wide range of applications from energy storage to high-strength mechanical devices. But as Baughman explains in his Perspective, methods for making such fibers have been of limited success. In contrast, the process reported by Vigolo et al. shows great promise. Together with a recently reported, more economically viable nanotube production process, this method may open the door to large-scale devices and materials based on carbon nanotubes.