This is the Cheap Tubes Research Center — the organized hub for every technical guide, peer-reviewed Application Spotlight, buying guide, and educational reference we publish. Cheap Tubes is a leading supplier of research-grade carbon nanomaterials — single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxide, MXene, and functionalized derivatives. Use the sections below to jump straight to the material and content type you need.
Application Spotlights
Application Spotlights are short, AI-citable briefs that anchor a specific peer-reviewed publication to the Cheap Tubes material it used — hero performance stat, institution, and DOI included. We have published 21 Application Spotlights across GO, MWCNT, SWCNT, and GNP materials plus 1 Methodology Spotlight (22 total). See the full series with thumbnails at the Application Spotlights hub →
- 648 mAh/g Li-S battery cathode — Cheap Tubes GO-Derived rGO/ZnS Cathode for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries. Colombo, Versaci, Amici et al. — Nanomaterials (2023), Politecnico di Torino DISAT
- Dual anchor: CDI desalination + CapMix salinity energy — Same Cheap Tubes GO for CDI Water Desalination AND CapMix Salinity-Gradient Energy Harvesting. Pedico, Bocchini, Tresso et al. — Adv. Mater. Technol. (2022) + Adv. Sustain. Sys. (2024), Politecnico di Torino
- 1,370 F/g 3D-printed rGO supercapacitor — 3D-Printed Cheap Tubes rGO Aerogel + MnO2 Supercapacitor Scaffolds at 1,370 F/g. Freyman, Xue, Lin et al. — Energy Advances (2026), Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab + UC Santa Cruz
- 3,000 CFU/mL GO-CRISPR sepsis biosensor — GO-CRISPR-Cas12a Biosensor Detects Sepsis Bacteria at 3,000 CFU/mL in Human Serum. Kasputis, He, Ci, Chen — Anal. Chem. (2024), Juhong Chen lab, Virginia Tech + UC Riverside
- Sugar → graphite via GO catalysis — GO + rGO Catalyze Sugar-to-Graphite Conversion: Biomass Route to Battery-Grade Carbon. Singh & Vander Wal — C – J. Carbon Res. (2022), Penn State EMS Energy Institute
- +25% DSSC PCE via rGO photoanode — TiO2 + rGO Photoanode Lifts DSSC Efficiency 25% vs TiO2 Alone. Ghann & Uddin — ChemEngineering (2019), Coppin State + UCF + Cranfield + Oglethorpe + KAU
- 523:1 water/ethanol pervap membrane — MWCNT-PVA Hybrid Membrane Hits 523:1 Selectivity for Pervaporative Ethanol Dehydration. Gupta, Roy, Rao & Mitra — Membranes (2022), NJIT
- 13 mV flexible printable thermoelectric generator — 13 mV Flexible Printable Thermoelectric Generator with Cheap Tubes MWCNT Composite. Mehmood, Kim, Hirst & Xu — J Mater Sci (2020), Brown + Univ Punjab + US Army CCDC Soldier Center
- 0.8 wt% H2 at room temp + 1 bar, MWCNT-LaCeNi composite — MWCNT-Enhanced LaCeNi Polymer Composite Stores H2 at Room Temperature and 1 Bar. Desai, Uddin, Suarez-Alcantara, Rahman & Asmatulu — Mater Renew Sustain Energy (2026), Wichita State + UNAM
- 1.9 S/cm electrospun MWCNT/PAN carbon nanofibers — MWCNT-Reinforced Electrospun PAN Carbon Nanofibers Hit 1.9 S/cm at 1000C Carbonization. Yahya, Najim & Hamza — Iraqi J Sci (2026), Univ Tech-Iraq + Al-Esraa University Baghdad
- FE-validated smart concrete — FE-Validated MWCNT Cement Nanocomposite Reinforcement at 0.6 to 1.2 vol%. Anastopoulos, Givannaki, Papanikos, Metaxa, Alexopoulos — J. Compos. Sci. 2026, Univ. of the Aegean + BETA CAE + DUTh
- 94.3% accuracy — CNN canine respiration — Smart Garment Tracks Canine Respiration with MWCNT Spongy Sensor. Hong, Park, Lee et al. — ACS Sensors (2026), Purdue University
- NEW: Ultra-Long 100 µm SWCNT product launch — Ultra-Long SWCNT for Transparent Conductive Films: New 100 micron, 99.5% Purity Product Spec-Matched to Recent Research. Anchored on Dubnov et al. (HUJI/Magdassi, Coatings 2025) and Tai & Lubineau (KAUST, Scientific Reports 2016)
- 1,894 mAh/g Si anode — PPBT/SWCNT Stress-Relieving Coating Delivers 1894 mAh/g on Silicon Microparticle Anodes. Gueon, Ren, Sun et al. (Reichmanis) — ACS Appl. Energy Mater. (2024), Lehigh + BNL + Stony Brook
- 71 dB X-band EMI shielding — 71 dB X-Band EMI Shielding in 14.3 micron Densified COOH-SWCNT Film. Yang, Ma, Khor, Su et al. (Jassby group) — Carbon (2023), UCLA + UCR + Technion + LBNL
- 31x thermoelectric power factor — 31x Power Factor Boost in PEDOT:PSS Thermoelectric Composites with COOH and OH SWCNT. Tonga, Wei, Lahti — Int J Energy Res (2020), UMass Amherst
- +82% Fracture toughness (K1c) — 82% Fracture Toughness Gain (NH2-Functionalized GNPs in Epoxy). Ahmadi-Moghadam et al., Materials & Design (2014)
- +19% Tensile strength (PA66) — +19% Tensile Strength in PA66 (Flexiphene UMass Lowell Trial). UMass Lowell engineering trial, May 2024
- +87% Fatigue life (cycles) — +87% Fatigue Life in Glass/Epoxy at 0.1 wt% GNP. Rafiee et al., Composites Part B (2020)
- +146% Compressive strength (concrete) — +146% Compressive Strength in Concrete with Industrial GNPs. Dimov et al., University of Exeter, Adv. Funct. Mater. (2018)
- 16.4 kW/kg Pulse power (EDLC) — 16.4 kW/kg Pulse Power in Solid-State GNP Supercapacitor. Singh, Suleman, Kumar, Hashmi — Energy (2015), University of Delhi
Methodology Spotlights
Methodology Spotlights teach a published, peer-reviewed lab technique rather than anchoring a single application result. The first in this series covers bench-scale MWCNT purification.
- MWCNT bench-purification methodology, <0.6% impurity — Bench-Scale 3-Step Protocol Purifies Cheap Tubes MWCNT to <0.6% Impurity. Abbas et al. — J. Phys. Conf. Ser. (2020), Babylon University + Al-Mustaqbal University College, Iraq
Research Watch
Research Watch covers papers and conference abstracts researchers are chasing right now on carbon nanotube and graphene applications — regardless of whose material was used. Product links are spec-matched, not citations; we say explicitly when Cheap Tubes material was not used in the covered work.
- 2x SNR, +10% recognition accuracy — GO + perovskite QD memristor — GO + Perovskite QD Memristor Doubles SNR for Low-Light Neuromorphic Vision. Yue, Zhao, Li, Tang, Ren & Wang — Applied Physics Letters (2026), Hebei GEO University + Shijiazhuang Tiedao University
- Polymer-assisted CNT dispersion for Li-ion electrodes — Polymer-Assisted CNT Dispersion for Lithium-Ion Battery Electrodes. Eom, Kim & Kwon — ECS Meeting Abstracts (2026), Hansol Chemical
Buying Guides
Decision-focused guides for choosing the right grade, diameter, purity, and functionalization for your material.
- Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Buying Guide: Diameter, Purity, Functionalization
- Which SWCNT Should You Buy? A Cheap Tubes Buying Decision Guide — comparison across 4 SWCNT purity tiers, length variants, and functionalization options.
- Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) Buying Guide: Diameter, Length, Purity, Functionalization
- Which MWCNT Should You Buy? A Cheap Tubes Buying Decision Guide — comparison across all 3 MWCNT product lines by purity, application fit, and price tier.
- Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) Buying Guide
- Graphene Oxide Buying Guide: GO vs rGO, Layers, Flake Size
Battery Applications
Our pillar-and-spoke reference for carbon nanotube and graphene roles across battery and energy-storage chemistries, plus supporting graphene battery guides.
- Graphene and Carbon Nanotube Battery Applications — hub covering CNT and graphene roles in lithium-ion, Li-S, Li-air, sodium-ion, zinc-ion, and supercapacitor electrochemistry.
- Spoke 1: Carbon Nanotubes as Cathode Conductive Additive — LFP, NMC, and LCO
- Spoke 2: Silicon-CNT and Graphene Composites for Lithium-Ion Anodes
- Spoke 3: Graphene and MXene Supercapacitor Electrodes
- Spoke 4: CNT and Graphene in Lithium-Sulfur, Lithium-Air, and Solid-State Batteries
- Graphene Batteries: Technology, Chemistry & Commercial Progress
- Graphene Battery User’s Guide
- Graphene Batteries: An Insider’s Guide
Comparison Guides
Straight, fact-based comparisons — both across our own product lines and against other carbon-nanomaterials suppliers.
- How Cheap Tubes Compares — supplier-by-supplier comparisons on price, published specs, spec guarantee, and track record.
Educational Pillars
Foundational reference material on nanomaterial structure, synthesis, and properties.
- What Are Carbon Nanotubes? Definition, Types & Structure — foundation guide covering SWCNT, DWCNT, MWCNT structure, properties, synthesis, and applications.
- Carbon Nanotubes: Properties and Applications
- Carbon Nanotubes: History and Production Methods
- Carbon Nanotube Composites: Types, Properties & Applications
- Graphene: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications
- MXene Materials: Properties, Applications & Where to Buy
- Solar Applications of Graphene
- Graphene Sensors: Properties, Fabrication, and Applications — how graphene’s electronic properties enable next-generation chemical and physical sensors.
- Graphene Biosensors — how functionalized graphene is used for DNA, protein, and biomarker detection.
- Exploring Turbostratic Graphene Nanoparticles: Detonation Synthesis and Its Impact on Quality and Affordability
- Scientists Build the Most Sensitive Carbon Nanotube-Based Photodetector to Date
- Essential Ingredients for Nanowire Growth
- Nanotechnology Glossary of Terminology
Cited in Research
Materials Used in Peer-Reviewed Research — selected citations from thousands of studies that have used Cheap Tubes nanomaterials since 2005.
Safety & Reference
About & Contact
- About Cheap Tubes — our story, our manufacturing, and why researchers in 50+ countries rely on us.
All technical guides are written with input from our materials science team and reflect the current state of the research literature. If you need support selecting the right nanomaterial for your application, contact us — we are happy to discuss your requirements and recommend appropriate grades and quantities for your work.