Rensselaer: Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have spent months running supercomputer simulations on the key characteristics of both copper nanowires and carbon nanotube bundles. It is the first such study to examine copper nanowire using quantum mechanics rather than empirical laws. The research team concluded that the carbon nanotube bundles boasted a much smaller electrical resistance than the copper nanowires. This lower resistance suggests carbon nanotube bundles would therefore be better suited for interconnect applications.