Unfortunately, despite steady progress on CNT properties and manufacturing, the appetite for CNT development has slowed down (and perhaps stalled). In the absence of a deliberate effort, the transition from using hydrocarbons as fuels to using them as a source of solid materials may never materialize. This transition will not happen by replicating the pre-1980s materials development models, in which just a few companies conducted research and development and commercialization, as was the case for aramids (Kevlar) or carbon fibers. The size of the problem is too large for any one corporation to tackle, and the current size of the opportunity is too small for any established corporation to care.

Yet, it’s not clear whether any government or coalition of governments has the ability or the political will to take on this challenge. Most dauntingly, whereas energy and hydrogen are commodities, materials are not. To be successful, every material class required the redesign of end-products and fabrication technologies—consider, for example, the differences in architecture and construction between a Roman arch stone bridge and a steel suspension bridge. CNTs and other new carbon materials will need to follow the same path of diversification in manufacturing and use, while retaining efficiency and economy of scale in primary production.

This is an interesting conclusion-- it seems quite often you see technologies and ideas that seem like they'd break through and all they need is an opening, but actually getting the support is just as hard as the tech side of it all. Hopefully stakeholders are taking a good hard look at this