Buckypaper is a material that ten times lighter than steel, but 500 times stronger when sheets are pressed together to form a composite material. Made of carbon nanotubes that have been disbursed in a liquid suspension and filtered through fine mesh to make a thin film, scientists think buckypaper will lead to consumer applications possibly within a year.

Buckypaper is excellent at conducting electricity and dispersing heat, and could be used in electromagnetic shielding and lightning protection on airplanes, for fuel cells, batteries and a more efficient ways to disperse heat in laptops. In the near future, the Buckypaper’s best potential could be in building light-weight, energy-efficient airplanes and cars.