Carbon nanothread

A carbon nanothread (also called diamond nanothread) is a sp³-bonded, one-dimensional carbon crystalline nanomaterial. The tetrahedral sp³-bonding of its carbon is similar to that of diamond. Nanothreads are only a few atoms across, more than 20,000 times thinner than a human hair. They consist of a stiff, strong carbon core surrounded by hydrogen atoms. Carbon nanotubes, although also one-dimensional nanomaterials, in contrast have sp²-carbon bonding as is found in graphite. The smallest carbon nanothread has a diameter of only 0.2 nanometers, much smaller than the diameter of a single-wall carbon nanotube.