Nanotubes Database

This database lists worldwide suppliers of hundreds of non-carbon and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Please let us know if we missed a supplier or a product.

CNTs are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure. They come in a variety of diameters, lengths, and functional group content. CNTs today are available for industrial applications in bulk quantities of metric ton quantities. Several CNT manufacturers have >100 ton per year production capacity for multi walled nanotubes.

CNTs have probably been around for a lot longer than was first realized, and may have been made during various carbon combustion and vapor deposition processes, but electron microscopy at that time was not advanced enough to distinguish them from other types of tubes.

If you are interested in reading more about carbon nanotubes' history, properties, production methods, and application areas, take a look at our Carbon Nanotube 101 segment in our Introduction to Nanotechnology section.

In addition to carbon nanotubes, other nanotube materials are emerging. Most prominent among them are boron nitride nanotubes, also known as BNNT. First theorized in 1994, BNNT represents a new class of materials. Super-strong textile-like nanotubes with the appearance of cotton, the material has a molecular backbone 100 times stronger than steel.

Boron Nitride Nanotubes are as strong as the better-known carbon nanotubes, but much more heat resistant – up to 800°C or 1472 F in air. The material also has an intrinsic piezoelectric function – meaning it creates electricity resulting from stretching or twisting.

This and other characteristics of the multi-functional nanotube make the technology a prime candidate for applications ranging from heat shields for the next generation of spacecraft, to new water filtration capabilities – even potential cancer therapies. Read more about boron nitride nanotubes here.

Currently, there are 770 products in our Nanotube Database. For a complete list, please see below. Alternatively, choose one of the following categories: