Carbon nanotube wiring nears copper conductivity

Researchers have made significant progress in enhancing the conductivity of carbon nanotube (CNT) wiring, bringing it closer to competing with traditional copper. By chemically doping CNT bundles, scientists have boosted their current-carrying capacity by up to tenfold, with some samples achieving over 15 times improvement. While the doped nanotubes currently lack long-term stability, this breakthrough suggests a path toward developing more durable and efficient materials. Notably, even with this improvement, the doped CNTs remain exceptionally lightweight, outperforming copper when normalized by density, which could have profound implications for electronics and aerospace.