Spanish Researchers Develop New Material That Could Transform EVs
Spanish researchers have developed a new material that has sharply improved carbon nanotube conductivity, potentially opening a path to replace copper wire in EVs, drones, and aircraft. Published in Science, the research comes from the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragon and the IMDEA Materials Institute. It centers on a chemical doping process that pushed nanotube conductivity up 17-fold while leaving the fibers structurally intact. At ambient temperature, the doped fibers reach around 40% of copper's electrical output, and on a weight-adjusted basis their specific conductivity exceeds aluminum. The fibers weigh around one-sixth of what copper does while offering roughly five times the tensile strength. Earlier iterations of these fibers…