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Materials & Manufacturing · Recorded milestone

Carbon nanotubes

Recorded year1991

Sumio Iijima characterises carbon nanotubes, sparking nanomaterials research.

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Built on

Electron microscopeRecorded · 1931requires
Buckyballs (fullerenes)Recorded · 1985enables

Led to

GrapheneRecorded · 2004enables
First carbon-nanotube computerRecorded · 2013enables
Mile-high towersForecast · ~2070enables

Sources & evidence

Additional source

Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.