Stronger than carbon nanotubes: Carbyne

Relatively new but has been around:

http://phys.org/news/2013-08-carbyne-stronger-material.html

Interesting. I am surprised that it is said to have greater tensile strength than carbon nanotubes! I would have thought that having double or triple bonds between carbon atoms would make those bonds rather strained and this would make carbyne a bit unstable and make the tensile strength a bit less.
So perhaps the materiel of choice in the far future would not be a composite with multi-walled carbon nanotubes after all but a composite with carbyne?
-perhaps not! because I found this:

http://gigaom.com/2013/08/15/carbyne-could-upset-graphene-as-the-strongest-material-in-existance/
“...
though scientists have succeeded at synthesizing short, single strands of carbyne, they haven’t been able to combine the strands to make a sheet of material. It’s suspected that if they did, the strands would explode.
…”
that makes it sound unstable to me just like I thought it would be with those strained bonds. I don't know if there is a way of bundling up many molecules of carbyne together or at least very close together without them being unstable? if not, then this will NOT be the wonder material of the future but multi-walled carbon nanotubes will be at least for structural support materials and tension cables.

Originally posted by humy
Interesting. I am surprised that it is said to have greater tensile strength than carbon nanotubes! I would have thought that having double or triple bonds between carbon atoms would make those bonds rather strained and this would make carbyne a bit unstable and make the tensile strength a bit less.
So perhaps the materiel of choice in the far future would no ...[text shortened]... i-walled carbon nanotubes will be at least for structural support materials and tension cables.

And then it will be up to the materials guys to come up with methods of growing carbon nanotubes in 100,000 mile lengths! Then we can have the space elevator! I did notice they were talking about a few nm long carbyne so they have a way to go, not yet ready for prime time. And like you say, they have to show it won't self destruct in larger sizes.