According to a recent report by the Physicist Organization Network, scientists at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have developed an extremely strong and lightweight carbon-made wire, which is expected to become a strong competitor to the copper wire in the future. In experiments, these wires consist of many carbon nanotubes, which are 30 times stronger than copper wires and weigh less than one-tenth of copper wires. In addition, they also discovered a method of welding carbon nanotubes with metal, which had never been realized before.

According to the researchers, the biggest disadvantage of carbon nanotubes at present compared to copper is their electrical conductivity: the conductivity of copper of the same mass is 2.5 times that of carbon nanotubes. In the next few years, scientists at Cambridge University will focus on the copper and carbon nanotube hybrid circuits and plan to develop a "super wire" consisting of the two that will greatly enhance the performance of ordinary copper wire.

The International Copper Association predicts that this “super wire” will take more than 10 years to achieve large-scale production, and that carbon wires made of pure carbon nanotubes need to have similar or even higher conductivity than copper wires. Maybe longer. The International Copper Association represents 80% of the world's finest copper mines and smelters, and the world's 8 largest copper and copper alloy processing companies. It is the world's leading non-profit international organization to promote and promote the use of copper.

However, Krishtov Kozinzel, a researcher in materials science and metallurgy at the University of Cambridge who is responsible for the study, is still full of confidence. He said that the technology is still a long way from commercial applications, but "our goal is to defeat the copper wire."

Kozenzel said that because of its strength and light weight, pure carbon nanotubes made of wire will have many exciting new uses: for example, for the connection of robotic arms or aircrafts and moving parts on automobiles. Sometimes weight has a decisive value. For example, a large-scale space satellite uses about one-third of its total mass, about 15 tons, and a Boeing 747 jet has a total length of more than 215 kilometers and a total weight of more than 2 tons. If all or part of the copper wire is replaced with a carbon wire, the changes in its performance, load, and efficiency will be invaluable.

GBIC spokesperson Gillian West said that the advantage of this carbon wire is also its efficient operation at high temperatures, which will significantly extend the life of equipment and lines and reduce the company's operating and maintenance costs. In addition, because of its lighter weight compared to copper wire, carbon wires will also be more convenient for transportation and installation. (Wang Xiaolong)