ABSTRACT
A substantial amount of money and effort has been funneled into research and development of carbon nanotubes (CNT), and they have been heralded as novel materials with unique properties and applications. Since 1991, the number of research papers published on the topic of CNT has increased exponentially, arriving at a current figure of 21,236 articles at a current rate of 100 per week (September 2006) (1). Global CNT production estimates vary, but are suggested to have been 100 tons in 2004, and 294 tons in 2005 (2). Underneath such statistics lies a trend that is seeing the Eastern and Asian markets taking the lead in the CNT research and production markets, with Korea predicted to be the world leader in CNT production in 2010 (2).
