Improved understanding of plasma source for synthesis of carbon nanotubes

Researchers have developed an insight that could facilitate production of microscopic carbon nanotubes, structures thousands of times thinner than a human hair used in everything from microchips to sporting goods to pharmaceutical products. The research by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) could ensure that fabrication forms nanotubes as efficiently as possible.