Slashdot Mirror
Camera Flashes Kill Nanotubes
Fnordmonger writes "New Scientist is running a story claiming that flash photography can cause nanotubes to explode. Basically , the carbon absorbs heat, which cannot be dissipated. Instead, the energy is released in an explosion. There is a cool video there of the stuff going off."
So we've build this elevator to space....but nobody can take a picture of it. :P
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
Well I guess hopes for a space elevator are shot now, since the first time someone took a photo of it would cause the whole thing to explode.
how am i supposed to serve MP3s off of my nano-computer with all those strobe lights going all the time?
dammit!
Ohhh...
upon actually reading the article(something i sometimes do before i post...) i see that they are considering taking advantage of this for the construction of uber-cool nono-circuits....
so maybe my strobe lights can be PART of my MP3 disco computer... cool. it's a great time to be alive!
lysergically yours
Can it destroy nanorobots that the government put in my body against my will?
Nanotubes go flash bang wallop
19:00 25 April 02 NewScientist.com news service
Taking a snapshot of carbon nanotubes using an ordinary camera flash can cause them to emit a loud pop and then suddenly burst into flame.
Scientists say this unique explosive phenomenon may lead to new means of manufacturing nanoscale carbon materials and even remote-control devices for small explosive charges.
Pulickel Ajayan and his team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, have been at work since one of his students accidentally sparked a tiny explosion by photographing a bundle of single-walled carbon nanotubes. "It was a complete accident," Ajayan told New Scientist.
Researchers around the world are exploring the potential that carbon nanotubes could have for a wide range of super-strong materials and nanoscale circuits. Ganapathiraman Ramanath, also at Rensselaer Polytechnic, says that the latest discovery "will serve as a starting point for developing nanotube-based actuators and sensors that rely on remote activation and triggering."
Ultra-absorbent
Ajayan says the explosion occurs because the black carbon nanotubes absorb light so efficiently that, when it is converted into heat, the heat cannot dissipate quickly enough across bunched-up tubes. However, only the single-walled variety of nanotubes catch fire. Those with multiple walls do not explode - the researchers are unsure why.
Video of flashlit nanotube explosion (744kB download)
The initial popping noise is generated by the heating of the oxygen inside and between the tubes, which causes a shock wave. And when the temperature of carbon reaches between 600C and 700C it oxidises sparking combustion.
When the researchers tried the experiment in the absence of oxygen they found that the tubes were transformed into different nanoscopic shapes, some reminiscent of cone-shaped "nanohorns".
"It's a very nice surprise," says Angel Rubio, an expert in carbon nanotubes at the University of the Basque Country in Spain. "Because it's the only carbon material that exhibits this ignition property."
Journal Reference: Science (vol 296, p 705)
Will Knight
nohup rm -rf ~/. >& zen &
This could be a cool way to make a simple sealed emergency fire starting device for survival equipment companies...
Think about it.. get a pile of wood and twigs, set device in middle press button, get away..
Oh wait... a bic lighter might be a better idea...
nevermind
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Last I heard NASA was making serious plans for a space elevator (slashdot story) using nanotubes. That may have to seriously reconsider this if it means tourists with cameras or solar flares can bring the whole thing toppling down.
I wonder what kind of shielding or heat-dissipation they would need for a 22,000 mile long cable of nanotubes? Might be more effor than it's worth after all.
The speed of time is one second per second.
!!! Heat causes chemical reaction!!! --- No doesn't work even with 3 exclaimation marks.
Sig is taking a break!
Ok, call me an idiot. I read the article, but I still don't know a nanotube is. Can someone explain it to the uninitiated please?
Posting Anonymously to protect my ego.
Researchers around the world are exploring the potential that carbon nanotubes could have for a wide range of super-strong materials and nanoscale circuits.
I can see the highway dept completing their fancy new bridge across the Tacoma Narrows with super strong carbon nanotubes. A week after opening, Priscilla wants a picture of her two darling munchkins standing with the beautiful black bridge. She snaps a photo...and BAM!!! the whole thing goes up in smoke.
So does this discovery mean that using your camera with the flash on could put you in violation of the US PATRIOT act? The resulting explosion could have you classified as a terrorist.
why don't you take a flash photo of it?
This is a more positive development than the headline implies. First, since double-layer nanotubes won't break, they now know how to keep them working if needed, and second, this now allows them to have a trigger action to set things in motion during complex sequences.
:-)
Personally, I'd like to see Milton Bradley take advantage of this and update Mousetrap. Turning the crank woud now release the ball, causing the little man to land on the flash button, breaking the nanotube and releasing the mousetrap. Of course, setup would just suck.
If the tubes are loaded with deuterium & tritium, of He-3, could this be useful for small scale fusion?
First they make me look 20 pounds heavier than I really am, change my eye color so that I look like the undead and now this?!?
How much longer are we willing to stand for this?
I say we get a taxpayer funded task force to oversee the destruction of all evil cameras.
Wait a minute... I thought the carbon nanotube dissipated REALLY well. Wasn't there an article here on Slashdot about them being superconductors? Don't superconductors move heat really easily? I didn't read the article, but this struck me as odd. Does the article explain this?
Besides, I thought carbon nanotubes were supposed to be even greater than sliced bread, concidering these:
They work as semiconductors
They can make a molecular computer
They can kill friction
and on and on and on.
"...At the end of the day"..."when everyone goes home, you're stuck with yourself." RIP Layne Staley
This isn't news. Bart found this out when he visited Itchy and Scratchy Land and fought robots powered by nanotubes
This is significant because most photochemical reactions have poor quantum yield. This may lead to some highly efficient solar cells, photo catylists or sensors.
love is just extroverted narcissism
... if they replicate ... if they go bad,
we just only have to take pictures of them!
Thank God, the next time Wil Wheaton makes another nano-lifeform there will be a way to defeat it ;)
You shank my Jengaship!
"This'll make a great blow-up!"
...for the nanomodelling industry.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
Imagine the possibilities!!
Scenario:
Reporter: Mr. famous_person *camera flashes* would you comment on your relationship *camera flashes* with Miss XXX?
Mr. famous_person: Sorry but I have no *camera flashes* comment *camera flashes* at this stage. (tries to get away)
Reporter: Do you believe *camera flashes* that this relationship will have an impact on *camera flashes* your career?
Mr. famous_person: I have a nanotube in my pocket!!!
Don't quote me on this.
I guess this is how The Simpsons killed all those robots in the amusement park.
Beware...m ?site=http://goatse.cx
the above link, in plain text: http://pediatrics.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.ht
Warning!
"Look Dexter, I got a new camera, isn't it cooooool??"
*-FLASH-*
"Dee Dee, You are a geeeniuuuuss!"
Novel theory: Modern Man evolved from psychopath
...that Disney is destined to rule the stars.
I mean, look at their progression: Disney Land, Disney World...
It's pretty clear where they're headed.
"Please keep all parts of your body inside the vehicle at all times, for your own safety from moving parts and hard vacuum. No flash photography is permitted."
So, how about this space elevator built by NASA on the endangereded islands of the Maldives? Would this whole thing come crippling down the minute an innocent japanese tourist takes a snap shot?
Weren't they talking about building the space elevator out of carbon nanotubes? Does that mean it will explode if someone takes flash foto of it?
AMD's C4 Featuring a new nanotube superconducting core.
Extream case mods have graduated from hobby to a high risk sport lauded in Mountain Dew commercials.
--Jimmy has fancy plans; and pants to match.
There is a cool video there of the [Nanotube explosion] going off.
And with those words, you killed the site.
THIS SPACE FOR RENT
Firstly, only the single sided tubes exhibit this behavior. So building things out of multiple sided tubes is still viable. Next, they absorb the light of the flash because they are black, but can't dissipate the heat out fast enough when there are a number of them bunched together because the heat from one nanotube gets absorbed by another, and so on. Think of it like dissipation interference.
If bad puns were like deli meat, this would be the wurst
"...and we present to you: the Beanstalk!" *Flash*pop*flash*pop*crack*boom*CRASH! ... ...
YOU MANIACS, YOU BLEW IT UP! YOU BLEW IT ALL UP!"
Ed Wedig
Graphic design services
docbrown.net
Another possible application of this property would be in the field of solar energy. Since the nanotubes absorb light energy more efficiently than they dissipate the heat, it seems like an excellent material for all sorts of solar applications. Remember only the single walled nanotubes explode.
To attach small pads with nanotubes in museums where photos with flash is prohibited...
listen/watch the disk once then the player flashes it. :)
Boy, they could have really used this on the Enterprise when Wesley stupidly let his Nanites get loose in the Evolution Episode.
-- 4 8 15 16 23 42
Everyone's talking about space elevators with the nano tube technology, but, I thought they were supposed to use Bucky Tubes.
Maybe they're the same thing =\
Web sites are like single-layer nanotubes.
/. editors feel like DDOSing a website they just flash a link to it on the front page. :-P
Whenever the
Way to go guys. You just blew up New Scientist.
Also, humans might need frequent "decontamination" by flashing lights (LEDs have been used for therapeutic benefit in today's technology--one example) into the body and then re-introducing the "good" nanos through a pill.
Diamond Age Summary
Diamond Age Review and audio sample
My Other machine is your Linux Box
Ha ha ha ha
Much funnier than the comment.
I'm working on getting the MPEG mirrored too.
what you all seem to be forgetting about the article is that is says only single walled nanotubes that are bunched up together will explode. if you take a picture of nanotubes on their own, they wont. so you still can use singlewalled nanotubes in stuff, just not when they're buched up
Probably not very fast, but: another mirror.
So that's why you can use flash photography to defeat the bezerk robots.
That would mean that native americans had invented nanotubes ?
Nano-terrorism???
"Quick, destroy the evidence!"
"How?"
"Take a picture of it!"
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
...when aliens kidnapped then-presidential candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole and stored them in a cylindrical glass casing.
"What the hell is this... some kind of nanotube?"
The neutrality of this sig is disputed.
...a beowulf cluster of nano-computers. Oh, the horror!
Just remember the nanotubes are there for the tension strength. It does not mean they cannot be coated with an reflective material.
Besides, I think we are quite far off yet from building this space elevator thing. Now a 'bridge-to-space' is another idea that might work (basically a sky hook that pulls payloads from high altitude to orbit).
This is a good reason why some people should not be allowed in porn films...
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
... that bringing up a web-page in my browser which uses flash can cause stuff to blow up?
certainly, this must be old news, flash has caused my gnu/linux web-browser to explode many times over the years.
Because, as noted in the article, the temps only get up to 700 degree's or so... you need alot more temp/energy to kick of a fission, let alone fusion reaction.
So that there _IS_ a gradient.
KLM.
MOD YOU! MOD YOU DOWN TO HELL!!!
(Hmmm... If that doesn't set off the lameness filter, nothing will...)
Here's a thought: if the nanotubes are so efficient at absorbing light, is there a way to build them such that the heat could be effeciently drawn out of them in order to provide power for a turbine?
Or, in English, could you use these things to make ultra-powerful solar panels?
Mirror of the MPEG is here: flash.mpeg
- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
First, there was Fire. Later on came gunpowder. Later than that came C4, Gelignite, and all the other Things That Make You Go Boom.
Now we've got exploding nanotubes. I suppose the next big thing will be BuckyBombs.
You may now groan, throw rotten veggies, etc.
Bruce Lane, KC7GR,
Blue Feather Technologies
Hmmm...cool I guess...though to me it looks more like someone missed the toilet.
alt.binaries.fetish.scat.nanotubes?
Buy trying to take the picture in the lab, this kid found out something more important then all the researchers developing this. And may have saved us from some nasty things.
Can you imagine if this was found out -after- this stuff was rolled out into general use?
Did you confuse Slashdot with SlashHipHop?
I can see it now...
"Welcome to the Daytona Airshow! The newest, most advanced fighter in the world, with the first carbon nanotube body!"
"Wooo! Quick, take a photo!"
*FLASH*
*FIZZLE*
*CRASH*
"Oh shit..."
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
..So tint/dye/paint them white somehow.
anyway, this has many (non-destructive) applications...(i think the title is very misleading)
Can one of you who are geekier than thou please explain what the hell a nanotube actually is, and why some have more walls than others? Wonder if this was what the army was going to use to make the super soldier out of...
I'm a pro-amatuer photographer, and have found even fairly modest flash equipment puts out a whallop of power, for a very brief 1/50,000th of a second or so.
I've experimented and found that even 4AA cell bounce flashes can scorch brown and back leather, and ignite small shavings of black construction paper.
The larger AC fed units pack some truly frightening power. They will ignite dark materials, or explosively vaporize their outer surface, resulting in a neat steam and smoke cloud. My favorite targets however...
Are fruit flies. Nothing funner than leaving a bananna peel in the trashcan for a week or so, and the fruit flies start swarming and lazily flying around. Hold the flash head right up next to them and fire! PFFFT! you get a little explosive pop of steam as the side of the fruitfly facing the flash superheats and explodes, and the rest of the hapless little insect gets blown in the opposite direction.
TRES FUN!!!
Imagine using nanotubes as the pigment in ink.
You could print documents that go blank if someone tries to photograph them, or that are -- at least -- "tamper evident".
Hey mods: don't you think this article has enough comments marked *funny*? The signal to noise ratio -- even for slashdot -- is in the crapper. Maybe consider not modding stuff down that really isn't funny or better yet find something with real content to mod up.
Wakey wakey, moderators...
I wonder if the energy release is enough for single-sided nanotubes to be used as explosives. If for nothing else, this is definitely a nifty device for a way to ignite a fuse or something.
--Speed 3: Gone in a Flash--
Everybody stay calm! There's a bomb on the camera. If the little flash button is held for more than 3 seconds, the bomb is armed. If you take a picture....the bomb will detonate.
I could also see this (if nanotubed were cheap to come by) as being a good thing for campers. Need to start a fire? Get some kindling, logs, your nanotubes and a flashbulb and you're ready to go!
Another really neat thing I'd like to see this being used for: Self-destructing computers. When the machine receives the self-destruct command, it flips the switch on the flash and POOF! it's gone.
In a related story...
The MPAA and RIAA are proposing that all hard disk platters be fabricated from carbon nanotubes with an overhead photoflashe builtin -- along with the exclusive right to control over that flash.
That'll show those damn pirates and "hackers"...
-Turkey
-Turkey
Someone once said that great discoveries in science are not followed by an expression of 'Eureka, I found it!', but rather by an expression of 'Hey, that's not supposed to happen.... hmmmm... that is interesting though... I wonder what would happen if....'
I love these types of discoveries.
I'm in my right mind and I have the answer to everything!
I like how when JoeBob Briggs showed "Planet of the Apes" on MonsterVision awhile ago, he gives this big long backstory about how Charlton "Moses" Heston fought the keep the line "Damn them, Damn them all to Hell" despite the censor's opinion. That C.H. pointed out that Taylor was not cursing in vain, but actually intended to condem the people who destroyed the Earth to hell for their arrogant foolishness.
-- Then TNT, in their infinite irony, sanitizes the line when they show the scene soon after JB's clarification.
And as Paul Harvey woudl say, now you know the rest of the story.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Don't you think it is flashed only at the surface? So that there _IS_ a gradient.
That would be true for the nested tubes (which, as I understand it, don't blow up).
But for the single layer the "surface" is all there is. They are, after all, only one atom thick. And since atoms are the bottom as far as heat is concerned (or at least, they are about as far down as you can go with the classical concept of heat) their isn't really a difference between the "surface" and the "inside".
You can't have a carbon atom that's hot on one side and cold on the other, and more than you can have an integer that's even on one side and odd on the other.
-- MarkusQ
I dont normally respond to offtopic comments, but that comment hit on a pet peeve of mine.
I dont think the military or police should have guns either. I mean here in Seattle the police shoot unarmed black men all the time. Which is a bit disturbing. Also what about oppressive governments? Then again, having guns allows for events like the one you described.
One shouldnt declare a solution to a complex issue without really thinking about it from all sides. Rarely are social issues that simple.
Good place to start if looking into nanotubes--for fun or profit!
Person: "Look at my amazing mega-strong car. Made out of carbon nanotubes - you can't dent it or anything."
"Yikes, my car has exploded because I was caught by the speed camera!"
super-strong(*) material. Do not take pictures of unless you want ultra-weak pile of hot dust.
I was visiting one of the largest Telephone switches in Alberta (A 150,000+ pair DMS-100) that serves the downtown core and those bastards wouldn't let me at least take a picture of it. I mean, I would've not used the camera flash, but at least let me under-expose the bitch. Hrmm.... it wouldn't of looked any worse anyways. I mean half of my pictures that are under-exposed come out with bland green and orange colours. Just like Nortel's!
I guess thge worst thing that could've happend is the downtown core of Calgary losing all ATM backbone connections. No glass nanotubes there, but a large broad-spectrum RF spike that comes from a camera flash probably isn't too good for any electrical equipment.
....must...get...dms...photos.....
Anonymous Coward? I thought that said Aerospace Cowboy!
They found out about this before they sold super futuristic clothes out of this. Imagine what would have happened if this hadn't been discovered until someone tried to take a picture of junior! I know, slim chance it would have made it that far without a picture being taken of it, but still...
Luckily, it's only a specific type of nanotube that's vulnerable. The double walled ones are supposedly not vulnerable to this problem. I would still like them to test it against ultraviolet and infrared flashes, and x-rays (imagine going to the dentist's office and catching fire!).
BlackGriffen
As for oxygen in the carbon nanotube interior - there is no oxygen in the interior, as these were described as closed (capped) carbon nanotubes, which are formed under inert (non-oxygen) atmospheres.
This is what the article said: (emphasis mine)
The initial popping noise is generated by the heating of the oxygen inside and between the tubes, which causes a shock wave.
Then after that it says:
When the researchers tried the experiment in the absence of oxygen they found that the tubes were transformed into different nanoscopic shapes, some reminiscent of cone-shaped "nanohorns".
It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds. - Captain Hammer
They renamed the mpeg file probably to save bandwidth. If you go to:g s/nan oflash/
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/NewsComm/sub/Pressim
And download the 5.2 meg file and renamed it you can watch the video. Personally, I found it to be unexciting.
Hey maw! Bring out tha Polaroid!
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
OK, who's the troll that snapped a flash picture of their web site? Seems the thing has exploded and is no longer up.
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
Where do you get a paintbrush small enough to paint something a few atoms wide?
How do you hold it when you're done? Do you train little amoeba painters to do the job for you? How do you get hats and smocks for them to wear? How to you ensure the tiny paint buckets get filled, properly, but don't overflow?
Sure, painting is a good idea, but how do you work out the logistics? And don't even get me started on those nasty Amoeba Painter's Unions!!!
A.C.
What a wonderful idea, if we take all the guns away then we don't have to worry about law abiding people using guns to kill people. I'm glad criminals don't break the law, I'd hate to think they would be the only ones with weapons... oh wait, i guess they do break the law.
That's ok, because I can just call the police... oh wait, they wouldn't have weapons to protect me. Well that's ok because they will take the guns away from criminals... oh damn, they would probably get laughed at while being shot to death. Well maybe police and military should have guns, but not citizens... then if someone tries to kill me i'll just call the police. I'll say wait one sec I gotta call the police BANG oh, maybe that won't work either. Ok, so the police can take all the guns away, just like they've stoped the flow of illegal narcotics, ummm well, I guess that won't work either. Perhaps I'll just buy a weapon and defend myself.
speaking of oppressive governments. If germany hadn't been disarmed would the Jewish people have fought back? If we don't have weapons will our government eventually become oppresive like hitler, or stalin? Doesn't freedom mean free? To be free shouldn't we be capable of defending freedom, or should we just let the government handle that for us?
If all the guns were gone would we put aside greed and not stab each other with steak knives or run each other down with cars, or beat each other with bats. Did violence exist before guns? yet more things to think about. I believe the constitution included a right to bear arms for a reason, and no the National guard is not a militia nor does it say only militias can bear arms, it says the people. If we aren't "the people" then who is? Are we not "the people" when the 1st ammendment gives us free speech? why would we not be in regards to the 2nd ammendment?
Has it occurred to no one that they may just be very shy and don't like having their picture taken? Maybe it's just blushing that got carried away...
-------------
An object at rest cannot be stopped!
"I don't trust goats," --To Catch a Spy
The next level of pornography: clothing that is invisible when you take a picture of it! Ladies can be walking around normally, and then the paparazzi jump out and disrobe them with an innocent-seeming camera flash, and everything goes downhill from there. Story at eleven.
Lack of eloquence does not denote lack of intelligence, though they often coincide.
Must be some use in a nano-size reactor that heats to 700C while shooting its contents and anything on its surface into the air.
If you have two tubes next to each other unzipping into a hornlike shape simultaneously, you'd think there would be some neat shockwaves happening. Certainly something is forcing air out quickly.