Overview

• Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology built a complete motor coil entirely from carbon nanotubes, eliminating copper and other metals
• The team’s new purification process uses liquid crystals to align nanotubes and remove catalyst residues without damaging their structure
• Prototype tests confirmed that motor speed could be precisely controlled by input voltage, demonstrating functional parity with conventional metal coils
• By reducing coil weight, carbon nanotube motors offer potential gains in energy efficiency and range for electric vehicles, drones and aerospace systems
• The findings were published in Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials, and researchers foresee applications in semiconductors, batteries and robotics