Aerographite: Ultra Lightweight, Flexible Nanowall, Carbon Microtube Material with Outstanding Mechanical Performance

1. Matthias Mecklenburg¹, 
2. Arnim Schuchardt²,
3. Yogendra Kumar Mishra², 
4. Sören Kaps²,
5. Rainer Adelung^2,*, 
6. Andriy Lotnyk^3,†, 
7. Lorenz Kienle³, 
8. Karl Schulte¹

1. Article first published online: 12 JUN 2012
   DOI: 10.1002/adma.201200491
   
   
   
   An ultra lightweight carbon microtube material called Aerographite is synthesized by a novel single-step chemical vapor deposition synthesis based on ZnO networks, which is presently the lightest known material with a density smaller than μg/cm³. Despite its low density, the hierarchical design leads to remarkable mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. The first experiments with Aerographite electrodes confirm its applicability.