Towards the Artsutanov's dream of the space elevator: The ultimate design of a 35 GPa strong tether thanks to graphene

In this paper, we have evaluated the strength of a graphene/nanotube bundle considering the two possible failure mechanisms, i.e. intrinsic fracture or sliding. We have accordingly proposed smart strengthening strategies, such as a flaw tolerant design and the nanotube self-collapse. The flaw tolerant design reduces the required strength whereas the self-collapse can increase the achievable strength. Only by coupling these complementary, and possibly other e.g. self-healing, smart strategies, the Artsutanov's dream of the space elevator could be realized. The ultimate design of a 35 GPa strong tether is thus proposed for the first time in this paper, thanks to graphene bundles and the numerous previous investigations performed by the author. Graphene bundles and composites, in which sliding is the current weakest link, are demonstrated to be two times stronger than their nanotube counterparts.

► The ultimate flaw-tolerant design of a strong graphene/nanotube tether is proposed for the first time in this paper. ► The achievable strength is 35 GPa. ► This strength is compatible with that required by the cable of the space elevator. ► Graphene bundles demonstrated to be superior with respect to nanotubes (40-70% stronger)