Science Blog - 'Flying' nanotubes are strong and hard

Science Blog - 'Flying' nanotubes are strong and hard: "Diamonds are the hardest known substance. Carbon nanotubes are the strongest. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory tried to combine the best of both worlds by creating a composite nanostructure. They wanted to grow tiny carbon tubes with tiny diamonds. But the results were not as expected. Instead, the experiment altered the surface area of the nanotubes, creating wing-like extensions. Even though the result wasn't what the experimenters were looking for, these modified surfaces may push nanotubes further into the world of practical and applied materials and systems. It also provides insight into how to synthesize an emerging class of material called ''nanocarbons,'' which consist of different allotropes -- the same elements with different molecular structures -- of carbon combined at the nanoscale to yield new materials with unique properties."