Applications of super-aligned carbon nanotubes under extreme conditions

Super-aligned carbon nanotube (SACNT) demonstrate significant potential for applications in extreme environments due to their highly ordered structure and unique physicochemical properties. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in SACNT research under harsh conditions, including high and low temperatures, radiation, vacuum, and transient high-current conditions. It specifically analyzes the performance characteristics and application mechanisms of macroscopic SACNT assemblies—such as array, films, fibers, and stacked films—in the fields of thermal management, vacuum electronics, lightning protection, and optical displays. SACNT materials exhibit excellent thermal stability, high electrical conductivity, and superior mechanical strength. Such properties allow them to maintain structural and functional integrity over a wide temperature range, while withstanding severe thermal shocks and high-energy radiation, thereby offering new strategies for designing high-performance devices for extreme environments. With continued progress in fundamental research and engineering solutions, SACNT-based materials are expected to play key roles in advanced technologies for aerospace, energy equipment, and ultra-high-temperature systems, laying a solid foundation for future material design and engineering applications in related fields.