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Nanotube Applications Grow And Grow

Posted by timothy on from the or-shrink-and-shrink dept.

HobbySpacer writes "Carbon nanotubes are starting to transition from interesting laboratory curiosities into interesting technological applications. These apps include non-volatile RAM, flat screen displays, high strength fabrics, and smart skin for structures in aerospace and elsewhere. Perhaps if The Graduate was being made today, the one word for Benjamin Braddock's future would not be "plastics" but "nanotubes"."

3 of 264 comments (clear)

  1. Clarke and Niven have some more apps... by karlandtanya · · Score: 5, Interesting
    with the introduction of an infinitely strong weightless fiber.

    Space elevator.

    Variable sword.

    Shadow-square wire.

    Don't write these off as goofy SF ideas. These are well-thought-out designs with only one "If Only". When the final engineering solution for the "if only" part of the design appears (and it will), the prediction is realized.


    Ever heard of geostationary satellites?

    --
    "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, it doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick
  2. Re:Bullet-proof nano-fabric? by forgetmenot · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Exactly! I wish someone would explain that to Tolkien, or perhaps Peter Jackson too! I don't care how hard mithril is, if it's flexible and light enough to wear hidden under your clothes then it's flexible and light enough to be forced (without tearing either) into a gaping hole in your chest when an 18 foot cave troll skewers you full force with a spear. You can't tell me there was enough impact absorbancy in Frodo's shirt to dissipate the energy from that impact enough so as to prevent chronic pierced lung syndrome.

    Am I still on topic? Ummm... "Mithril Nanotubes". (There that should fix it.)

  3. Re:More relevant material by dissy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > WTF are you on mate? Nanotubes are made of carbon, not of metal

    I believe what he is referring to, quoted from the link he posted in that same comment:

    "We have shown that there are ways of making single-walled nanotubes without the use of metals," Avouris said.
    (Check the link, 2nd non-bold paragraph down)

    Also, compare your reply (of carbon, not of metal)
    It appears you just made that up.

    The parents post says:
    "And as far as commercial entities go, don't forget IBM's find back in September of 2002, which was making nanotubes with carbon instead of metal."

    With.. Not of.. With metal.

    The parent posters argument was correct.
    Your 'correction' was flawed, even if correct.

    Hopefully the moderators wont be as hard on you for being wrong as you were on the parent poster even though he was not wrong at all :)