Topic: Carbon paper - tougher than steel and as flexible as carbon fiber.

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

Researchers have developed a remarkably simple way to convert ordinary graphite particles into very thin but superstrong sheets that are tougher than steel and as flexible as carbon fiber but can be made much more cheaply. The discovery could spawn entirely new types of materials for applications as diverse as protective coatings, electronic components, batteries, and fuel cells.

For tensile strength and stiffness, carbon is king. So it's no surprise that scientists have been working for years to develop ways to add Element 6 to composite materials for aircraft fuselages, military vehicles, and even racing bicycles and tennis rackets. Even bigger payoffs are possible by constructing carbon materials at microscopic scales, yielding the strongest materials of all.

[Just plain old Punisher]

Yea, but the sh*t is expensive as hell. That's the problem. It's only used in enviornments where lightness and strength are more important than cost -- and that's aircraft airframes.

[Nemesis]

but can be made much more cheaply.

[Just plain old Punisher]

but can be made much more cheaply.

But still more expensive than conventional building material =)

[Death_Merchant]

but can be made much more cheaply.

But still more expensive than conventional building material =)

They mean cheaper than nanotubes.

And the article states "tougher than steel", which is wrong.
"Toughness" in the material world is the measure of resistance to crack propagation. Carbon in any form is not tougher than a material that can accomodate dislocation motion, like metals.