People have known how to make carbon nanotubes 400 years ago

According to a study published in Nature, the blacksmiths from damas steel (Damascus steel) knew how to build carbon nanotubes more than 400 years ago.

German researchers have discovered the presence of these carbon nanotubes in a sample extracted from the damas sword. The steel blades of damas were famous since the Crusade, when Christians confronted the sword of the Muslims.

According to legend, the damas blade was known to have originated in the 1st century AD and was made of a type of steel imported from India, called wootz steel, very rich in carbon. However, this steel-making formula was lost in the 18th century and European blacksmiths never made the same quality steel, the ideal steel to make sharp blades. sharp.

Damas blade is known not only for its sharpness but also for its glittering iridescent motifs (Photo: antiques-arms.com).

The team led by Dr. Peter Paufler of the University of Dresden gave a 17th-century damas sword to the chloridric acid solution. Acid dissolves nanofibers of cementite (iron carbur) and reveals the presence of carbon nanotubes. These materials are very popular today because they are very hard and light.

To verify the results, the researchers will find ways to recreate damas and study the conditions for forming nanotubes in a forge.

VN