Scientists at Florida State University are dreaming up exciting uses for buckypaper, a material that is 10 times lighter than steel, but potentially 500 times stronger when sheets are pressed together to form a composite.
The material is made of carbon nanotubes that have been disbursed in a liquid suspension and filtered through fine mesh to make a thin film. Its building blocks were first discovered in 1985 (winning those researchers the Nobel Prize), but scientists have recently made great discoveries improving the strength and bonding that they think will lead to consumer applications very soon, possibly within a year.
Buckypaper, which excels at conducting electricity and dispersing heat, may soon be used in electromagnetic shielding and lightning-strike protection on aircraft, electrodes for fuel cells, super capacitors, batteries and a more efficient replacement for graphite sheets to dissipate heat in laptops.
In the future, the material’s greatest potential could be in building light-weight, energy-efficient planes and cars, as well as military armor and stealth technology.
Via Wired
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written by Gadget News, October 22, 2008
Can buckypapaer be recycle if possible then it will be more helpful.If this material is replacing graphite it should be softest and bad conductor of heat and electricity.
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written by Steve N. Lee, October 22, 2008
So, did Gene Roddenbury get it wrong? Will the Starship Enterprise be little more than a souped up paper aeroplane?
This sounds to be quite an amazing material. Conducts electricity, shielding capabalities, batteries, cars... Is there anything it can't do?
I'd like to know a little more about the manufacturing process, to see how much greener it is than steel. And while it might be stronger, how about its lifecycle - does it last as long, wear as well, etc?
Also, there's no mention of how easy it is to recycle.
This does sound an intriguing concept, not least because if vehicles are made of this stuff then because it's so much lighter than steel, it will mean vast improvements in fuel efficiency, so will have great benefits for the environment.
All in all, an interesting article. It's something I'll be keen to read up on.
Steve N. Lee
author of eco-blog http://www.lionsledbysheep.com
and suspense thriller 'What if...?' http://www.steve-n-lee.com
This sounds to be quite an amazing material. Conducts electricity, shielding capabalities, batteries, cars... Is there anything it can't do?
I'd like to know a little more about the manufacturing process, to see how much greener it is than steel. And while it might be stronger, how about its lifecycle - does it last as long, wear as well, etc?
Also, there's no mention of how easy it is to recycle.
This does sound an intriguing concept, not least because if vehicles are made of this stuff then because it's so much lighter than steel, it will mean vast improvements in fuel efficiency, so will have great benefits for the environment.
All in all, an interesting article. It's something I'll be keen to read up on.
Steve N. Lee
author of eco-blog http://www.lionsledbysheep.com
and suspense thriller 'What if...?' http://www.steve-n-lee.com
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written by hyperspaced, October 22, 2008
as far as I know this material is highly toxic. That is, when e.g. an airplane gets worn out or has it's hull repaired or gets destroyed, how safe will it be?
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written by mom_at_home, October 22, 2008
I'm on board with hyperspaced. Nanotubes are a big unknown as far as environmental impact aren't they? What will happen to waste? I see it potentially as another teflon situation. The industry needs to get their ducks in a row on the nanotube technology before they unleash it on the populace. I'd love to see more info on the good, the bad, and the ugly before I judge the viability of this breakthrough. Sorry to be a downer. (BTW I must be an ecogeek)
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written by Clinch, October 22, 2008
As far as I've read, the main problem with nanotubes is that they are so thin that they can cross over cell walls, but in this new form, I can't see that being a problem (unless the "buckypaper" is flakey, and sheds nanotubes.
As for the environmental impacts, I don't think they will be that severe, as carbon nanotubes have been around in the environment for longer than man has walked the earth (they are naturally produced in fire, along with soot).
As for the environmental impacts, I don't think they will be that severe, as carbon nanotubes have been around in the environment for longer than man has walked the earth (they are naturally produced in fire, along with soot).
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written by Yoshi, October 22, 2008
With such great strength, I imagine it would be difficult to cut/machine it into parts - maybe it would have to be formed instead of machined?
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written by Andrew Leinonen, October 22, 2008
When it comes to machining, hardness is the factor, not strength.
But either way, given the description, it seems like the manufacturing process for it would be more in line with composites (since it's laminated) than with metals, so forming probably makes more sense, anyway.
But either way, given the description, it seems like the manufacturing process for it would be more in line with composites (since it's laminated) than with metals, so forming probably makes more sense, anyway.
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written by Clinch, October 22, 2008
It may be harder to cut, but with carbon-nanomaterials, they've also developed a material harder than diamond!, so cutting wont be a problem.
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written by Fred, October 30, 2008
Talk about carbon sequestering! Can CO2 be a starter stock for creating these nanotubes??
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written by H.MASTERS, October 31, 2008
These new materials will open up a wealth of uses from aerospace applications to normal domestic applications, new light weight engines for Aerospace which indirectly improves fuel efficiencies equals echo friendly, improved cells to power every day objects. improved exterior paint applications and electronics applications alone is vast.
keep up the good work
kind regards
keep up the good work
kind regards
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written by BeCre8iv, July 13, 2009
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/nanotubestoxic.php
Unformed nanotubes are highly toxic, resulting in a similar condition to asbestosis. I imagine the ploom from a crashsite being a big problem.
On the upside, electronics are far cleaner and more efficient to produce than the equivalent in silicone.
Could this be useful for carbon sequestration?
Unformed nanotubes are highly toxic, resulting in a similar condition to asbestosis. I imagine the ploom from a crashsite being a big problem.
On the upside, electronics are far cleaner and more efficient to produce than the equivalent in silicone.
Could this be useful for carbon sequestration?
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written by TheNanoAge, May 09, 2010
As soon as this material can be inexpensively mass-produced, I bet it will find application nearly everywhere. Carbon is the single most versatile building material there is, and there is plenty of it. It could even be captured from the atmosphere (cleaning it up) and used to make just about anything we can imagine.
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