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Ultra-Strong Nanotube Composites

Posted by timothy on from the like-mighty-mouse dept.

TheMatt writes "In a story that makes you say "Cool!", Nicholas Kotov and co-workers have created a nanotube composite material six times stronger than carbon-fiber composites. Their final product is a crosslinked material which appears to be just as strong as silicon carbide and tantalum carbide!"

2 of 29 comments (clear)

  1. How do you work with it? by Gerry+Gleason · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Obviously this is still at a research stage, but I have to wonder what will be involved in making structures out of it. The alternate dipping process sounds like a bit of a hack, but it probably can be adapted for creating macro structures. There was a time when carbon fibers were so exotic that you weren't allowed to use them in American Cup yachts, and now it's everywhere. I wonder if you could combine the two components by spraying them from seperate nozzles, or something. Then maybe you could coat a mold with the componite much like they spray chopped strand and poly resin into boat molds.

    They don't give much detail on anything. They seem to be saying the material is both strong and stiff, but you might be able to play with the properties

  2. umm.... strong? by Transcendent · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...they are far stronger and stiffer than those used to make carbon-fibre tennis-rackets...

    Yeeaaaa... Usually tennis rackets are designed to bend. They do make rackets that are intended to be stiff, but even those are supposed to bend a little...

    Also, pro players brake their rackets a lot... so do amatures... I broke about 3 "carbon-fibre" rackets just by dropping them.

    ...maybe that simile could use a little work?