Aerospatial and automotive

The use of nanocomposites in vehicle parts and systems is expected to improve manufacturing speed, enhance environmental and thermal stability, promote recycling, and reduce weight. The use of nanocomposite-based parts provides stiffness, strength, and reliability comparable to or better than metals. They offer corrosion resistance, noise dampening, and enhanced modulus, thermal stability, and dimensional stability.
Nanotechnology also may hold the key to making space-flight more practical. Advances in nanomaterials could make lightweight spacecraft and a cable for the space elevator possible. By significantly reducing the amount of rocket fuel required, these advances could lower the cost of reaching orbit and traveling in space.  Aerospace industry is, therefore, one of the foremost adopters of advanced composite materials, particularly composites reinforced with carbon fiber. On the other hand, the use of composite structures in both commercial and general aviation aircraft has been increasing primarily because of the advantages composites offer over metal (e.g. lower weight, better fatigue performance, corrosion resistance, tailorable mechanical properties, better design flexibility, lower assembly costs).