Introduction for JEP Special Issue on Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

Since the first identification of carbon nanotubes in 1991, more than 60,000 research papers have been published (with around 3500 papers just published in 2009), reporting findings on electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties and manufacturing methods as well as functionalization of this material. More than 23,000 of these papers were mainly addressing the electrical properties of the carbon nanotubes and proposed applications in the electronics and energy fields.