Paper stronger than steel?

[thewayne]

Apparently so. From the article: "Conventional paper is made from cellulose, a crystalline polymer of glucose that's the primary component of plant cell walls. At the nanoscale level, cellulose can be extremely strong, with individual fibers capable of withstanding more stress than glass fibers or steel wire. But paper processing generates relatively large cellulose microfibers riddled with defects that can break apart under stress. That leaves most commercial paper with a tensile strength that tops out at about 30 megapascals (MPa)" Apparently by using nanotube technology and some cool chemistry, the paper can be made to over 200 MPa, steel has a strength of 130 MPa.

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/609/1?

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/10/0033201