Aerographite: Ultra Lightweight, Flexible Nanowall, Carbon Microtube Material with Outstanding Mechanical Performance

• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201200491
• Publication Date: 2012-06-12T09:17:37Z
• Authors: Matthias Mecklenburg; Arnim Schuchardt; Yogendra Kumar Mi...; Sören Kaps; Rainer Adelung; Andriy Lotnyk; Lorenz Kienle; Karl Schulte
• Keywords: Microtechnology; 02 engineering and technology; Zinc Oxide; 0210 nano-technology; Porosity; Carbon; Mechanical Phenomena; Nanostructures

An ultra lightweight carbon microtube material called Aerographite is synthesized by a novel single-step chemical vapor deposition synthesis based on ZnO networks, which is presently the lightest known material with a density smaller than μg/cm(3). Despite its low density, the hierarchical design leads to remarkable mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. The first experiments with Aerographite electrodes confirm its applicability.