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Yarn Spun from Nanotubes

Posted by michael on from the spiderman dept.

jabberjaw writes "Nature is reporting that Professor Alan H Windle has spun nanotube yarn by twisting nanotubes onto spinning rods as they come out of the furnace from which they are made. Professor Windle's team used ethanol (carbon source) with ferrocene (catalyst) and thiopene (for thread assembly) to create the structure. To create the tubes a mix of the above chemicals is inserted into a furnace in a jet of hydrogen gas. However, do not get your hopes up yet, the press release also indicates that the yarn has a strength comparable to that of most modern textiles but the groups does state that there is room for improvement. Yes, for those of you wondering, there is mention of a space elevator."

9 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. Thiopene? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not this time...

    thiophene ... one letter makes a big difference in chemistry

    IAAC - I am a chemist

  2. Good nanotube resource site by bcolflesh · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Nanotube Site

  3. Space Elevator and Nature by smoondog · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Getting a space elevator mentioned in Nature is huge, whether or not it is a viable project. It will help give it the exposure it needs to get debated on whether it is a viable project by people that could actually help get it off the ground.

    -Sean

  4. Oh great.. by hookedup · · Score: 5, Funny


    So next time someone snaps my picture., my sweater will explode.

    Very amusing...

  5. Strength isn't the only issue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This could well be interesting stuff even if it is no
    stronger than current polymers. The advantage may well
    arise from its ability to retain its strength
    at high temperatures which current threads do not.
    UV resistance would be another big win.

  6. Grandmothers delight by onyxruby · · Score: 5, Funny

    Grandmothers delight as they learn that they can now make a sweater that is immune to all those mysterious things that keep plaguing all the other sweaters previously given to their grandchildren.

  7. As usual, porn will lead the way. by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

    So next time someone snaps my picture., my sweater will explode.

    Once again, a new technology's most obvious application is in pornography.

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  8. Buzzwordium by Iowaguy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What amazes me is that we never seem to learn. As a scientist, I see this scenerio played out over and over. Someone discovers something new and kinda cool. Then, in the ferver of excitement that follows, the sun, moon and stars are promised. Much activity occurs. Some progress is made. Real work gets done. But, at the end of the day, we have no sun, moon, and stars.

    Carbon nanotubes are an interesting discovery, but making them in adundance is non-trivial. Forming them into useful macro structures is also not well understood, to put it mildly. I hate to break it to you, but there will be no space elevator, at least any time soon.

    This irrational exuberance of science tends to hurt more than help. Becuase when someone promises the world and then doesn't deliver. It hurts the entire discipline in the way of funding cuts by politicians who feel burned for beleiving the hype. Just some perspective.

    My two cents,
    -Iowa

    --
    "He who laughs last, didn't get the joke."-Cap
  9. Re:next generation by Big_Breaker · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not true... the elasticity is mostly determined by the vests weaving. Kevlar does not stretch very much - its tensile elongation % is 2.8

    Vests need to distribute the energy across the vest and elasticaity doesn't help there.