A 2006 editorial written by Marc Monthioux and Vladimir Kuznetsov in the journal Carbon has described the interesting and often misstated origin of the carbon nanotube. A large percentage of academic and popular literature attributes the discovery of hollow, nanometer sized tubes composed of graphitic carbon to Sumio Iijima of NEC in 1991.[2]
In 1952 Radushkevich and Lukyanovich published clear images of 50 nanometer diameter tubes made of carbon in the Soviet Journal of Physical Chemistry.[3]
This discovery was largely unnoticed, as the article was published in the Russian language, and Western scientists' access to Soviet press was limited during the Cold War.
It is likely that carbon nanotubes were produced before this date, but the invention of the transmission electron microscope allowed the direct visualization of these structures.
[2] Iijima, Sumio (1991). "Helical microtubules of graphitic carbon". Nature 354: 56 - 58.
[3] Radushkevich-Lukyanovich (1952) in russian
[http://carbon.phys.msu.ru/publications/1952-radushkevich-lukyanovich.pdf]
Как то В.Л. Гинзбург сказал о Есаки - @ука, не сослался на Леню Келдыша (который открыл туннельный диод до Есаки).
Я думаю Ииджима знал о работах Радушкевича, но не сослался, так как японцы вообще хорошо знают русские работы особенно старые, но никогда не ссылаются. В их библиотеках можно увидеть книги выдающихся ученых на русском языке, где все поля исписаны по японски .