It's called 'buckypaper' and looks a lot like ordinary carbon paper, but don't be fooled by the cute

(18 Oct 2008) HEADLINE: Future planes, cars may be made of `buckypaper'
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CAPTION: It's called 'buckypaper' and looks a lot like ordinary carbon paper, but don't be fooled by the cute name or flimsy appearance. It could revolutionize the way everything from airplanes to TVs are made. (Oct. 18)
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[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE]
[Notes:Dateline: TALLAHASSEE, Fla.]
[Notes:NATS up "It's kinda like tissue paper."]
It's called buckypaper ...
and looks a lot like ordinary carbon paper...
But this thin material is actually stronger than steel.
And it could revolutionize the way everything from airplanes to TVs are made.
[Notes:SOT--- Wang (:16) "The materials that manufacturers like Boeing, like Lockheed Martin, like Dell, they can actually take and transform them from materials into products so people can use on a daily basis."]
Buckypaper is made of tube-shaped carbon molecules that are 50-thousand times thinner than a human hair..
But they have the potential to be 500 times stronger than steel.
In fact .. you need a massive electron microscope to see the ultra-tiny cylinders known as carbon nanotubes.
The material has been in the works for the past 20 years...
[Notes:NATS up Wang (:05) "It's been faciniating. Everyday we have new discovereies."]
... but until now no one knew how to use its unique properties in commercial production.
Now researchers at Florida State University say they may have the answer.
[Notes:SOT Wang: "So what we're trying to do is to use our engineering training and skills to create commercial values out of this wonderful material."]
[Notes:NATS ups charges]
Because of its heavy-duty strength ... Buckypaper also conducts electricity very effectively for airplanes during thunderstorms.
[Notes:SOT Wang: "We propose to use the buckypaper, as a solution for very effective lightning-strike protection."]
So far ... buckypaper can be made at only a fraction of its potential strength... in small quantities ... and at a high price.
But researchers are developing new manufacturing techniques ...
Those techniques may make it more competitive with the materials that are on the market now.
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