Advances in nanocarbon composite materials

Materials have always been crucial to human development, to the point of being used as a reference to name specific stages of development. The first was the Stone Age, then the Bronze Age and then the Iron Age and on to their equivalents in modern times viz. the Plastic Age, the Silicon Age and the Nanomaterials Age. About 70% of all technical innovations (as estimated by the German federal government) can be attributed either directly or indirectly to the properties of the materials used – solutions are being explored on how to interface nanomaterials with other components in the macroscopic world. Therefore, we could reasonably state that we are entering the Composite Age. In particular, nanocarbons display unique properties to innovate in practically all technological sectors and branches of industry. This cutting-edge use of nano-augmented composite materials has the potential to reduce environmental pollution, to conserve resources, to save energy, and generally, to improve the quality of our lives.