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How did Sumio Iijima’s discovery of carbon nanotubes advance nanotechnology?

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The powers of 10 — nanotechnology Examples from biological and mechanical realms illustrate various “orders of magnitude” (powers of 10), from 10⁻² meter down to 10⁻⁷ meter.

In 1991, Sumio Iijima discovered carbon nanotubes, which are elongated, tube-like structures formed from carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings. This discovery significantly advanced nanotechnology by providing scientists with well-defined nanostructures that possess remarkable, unexpected physical and electrical properties.12

These nanotubes exhibit unique characteristics that have opened new technological frontiers:

Superior Conductivity: Unlike standard conductors, single-walled nanotubes exhibit ballistic transport, allowing electrons to propagate rapidly along the tube axis with minimal energy loss. Their current-carrying capacity is approximately four orders of magnitude higher than that of copper.1
Exceptional Strength: Carbon nanotubes possess a Young’s modulus significantly higher than that of carbon fibers, making them highly resilient and capable of enduring reversible elastic deformations.1
Versatile Applications: Their properties make them promising for field-emission devices, electronic displays, and as durable probe tips for scanning tunneling microscopes. Furthermore, their hollow structure allows them to be "decapped" and filled with other materials, enabling the stabilization of microscopic particles.1