The secret is in how the nanotubes are arrayed, according to ECU professor Jian Nong Wang. By laying the tubes parallel to each other -- rather than spraying or filtering them on, as other methods do -- the ECU team was able to create the super-strong film. Their film has an average strength of 9.6 gigapascals -- far more than the 3.7 and 7 GPa that Kevlar and carbon fiber offer, respectively. It also offers superior electrical conductivity, making the new material ideal for use as a structural coating on vehicles and aerospace components or as next-generation electrodes.