Nanotube Applications Grow And Grow

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Nanotube Applications Grow And Grow

Posted by timothy on Wednesday July 2, 2003 @04:59AM 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"."

12 of 264 comments (clear)

More relevant material by mao+che+minh · 2003-07-02 05:03 · Score: 5, Informative

NASA also has a page for it's nanotube developments at Johnson Space Center. The NSF is part of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, and has it's own page as well.
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.
1. Re:More relevant material by dissy · 2003-07-02 06:00 · 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 :)
Incredible what you can do with carbon! by SpanishInquisition · 2003-07-02 05:03 · Score: 5, Funny

What's next? jewelry? pencils? life?

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Je t'aime Stéphanie
carbin[e] nanotubes? by *weasel · 2003-07-02 05:05 · Score: 5, Funny

what on earth would you do with a carbine rifle that small?

i guess even nanites are set to participate in the arms race.

--
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
Better Flat Screens by nbarr · 2003-07-02 05:06 · Score: 5, Insightful

For me, the best is to come in LCD screens. Faster and cheaper LCD screens, and with better image quality. Now, thats what I call good news.

--
Call on God, but row away from the rocks.
Bullet-proof nano-fabric? by Darken_Everseek · 2003-07-02 05:14 · Score: 5, Informative

That's all fine and dandy, but a bullet proof piece of clothing 'as light as a t-shirt' wouldn't so squat. Kevlar is a pretty light material too, the reason bullet proof vests are so heavy is because of the large impact absorbing plates. Without some impact absorbance, the bullet would just end up dragging a whole bunch of cloth into the gaping hole in your chest. You have to have something to absorb the kinetic energy; and a t-shirt just doesn't cut it.
1. Re:Bullet-proof nano-fabric? by forgetmenot · 2003-07-02 05:31 · 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.)
2. Re:Bullet-proof nano-fabric? by bitrott · 2003-07-02 05:36 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Oh... my god. What a nerd. Ok, it's a magic armor. What made you think physics SHOULD apply you silly sod?
3. Re:Bullet-proof nano-fabric? by JahToasted · 2003-07-02 05:57 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  First of all, Tolkien is dead, so its hard to explain it to him, Secondly please refer to the Simpsons:
  Frink: Yes, over here, m-hay, m-haven... in episode BF12, you were battling Barbarians while riding a winged apalousa, yet in the very next scene my dear, you're clearly atop a winged arabian! Please do explain it!
  Lucy Lawless: Uh, yeah, well whenever you notice something like that.. a wizard did it!
  Frink: Yes, alright, yes, in episode AG04..
  Lucy Lawless: Wizard!
  Frink: Oh for glaven out loud..
Clarke and Niven have some more apps... by karlandtanya · 2003-07-02 05:15 · 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
What if ... by Zanek · 2003-07-02 05:23 · Score: 5, Insightful

From the article: "The ability to place CNTs directly on a substrate while controlling their spacing, size, and length, provides a high quality image with optimized electron emissions, brightness, color purity and resolution for flat panel displays. Other attempts in this field utilize a "paste" or "print" method of applying CNTs, which to date, have not been able to provide the same level of display image quality, or the potential cost savings of Motorola's NED process."

This brings up some interesting ideas !
What happens when the technology for laying the nanotubes onto substrates becomes so good that we
are able to build car frames or house frames from it(think 3D substrates of nanotubes) ?
How about another question , how easy is it for one to recycle this crap.
We already have problems with millions of old junk PC's and monitors, what happens when you have near indestructable nanotube structures ?

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Help pay for my wedding! Go to my kickass website
1. Re:What if ... by SharpFang · 2003-07-02 06:05 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  > How about another question , how easy is it for one to recycle this crap.
  
  Burn it. It's coal.
  
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  45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2