Cinching nanotubes into tough fibers

Heralded as the strongest known structures, carbon nanotubes have caught the attention and imagination of scientists around the world. Resembling teeny sheets of chicken wire rolled into tubes, the nanoscale structures could produce tougher and lighter-weight materials for, say, space applications or automotive parts.

However, making macroscopic materials out of structures that are a billionth of a meter wide remains a challenge.