The authors, Savas Berber, Young-Kyun Kwon, and David Tománek, from Michigan State University, investigate the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes using equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations with accurate carbon potentials. They find that an isolated (10,10) carbon nanotube exhibits an unusually high thermal conductivity of approximately 6,600 W/m·K at room temperature, comparable to that of a hypothetical isolated graphene monolayer or diamond. This high thermal conductivity is attributed to the large phonon mean free paths in these systems. The study also shows that the thermal conductivity decreases with increasing temperature, following the behavior of the specific heat. In contrast, bulk graphite's thermal conductivity is significantly lower due to inter-layer coupling, reducing it by one order of magnitude compared to the nanotube's value. The results highlight the potential of carbon nanotubes as efficient thermal conductors, especially in applications where efficient heat dissipation is crucial.The authors, Savas Berber, Young-Kyun Kwon, and David Tománek, from Michigan State University, investigate the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes using equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations with accurate carbon potentials. They find that an isolated (10,10) carbon nanotube exhibits an unusually high thermal conductivity of approximately 6,600 W/m·K at room temperature, comparable to that of a hypothetical isolated graphene monolayer or diamond. This high thermal conductivity is attributed to the large phonon mean free paths in these systems. The study also shows that the thermal conductivity decreases with increasing temperature, following the behavior of the specific heat. In contrast, bulk graphite's thermal conductivity is significantly lower due to inter-layer coupling, reducing it by one order of magnitude compared to the nanotube's value. The results highlight the potential of carbon nanotubes as efficient thermal conductors, especially in applications where efficient heat dissipation is crucial.