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World's First Practical Plastic Magnet

Stopmotioncleaverman writes "New Scientist is reporting that scientists at the University of Durham in the UK have created the world's first plastic magnet to work at room temperature from two compounds, emeraldine base polyaniline (PANi) and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). In 2001, scientists in Nebraska created a plastic magnet, but it only worked at 10 Kelvin. Most notably from the article - "One of the most likely applications is in the magnetic coating of computer hard discs, which could lead to a new generation of high-capacity discs". This story is also being reported in lots of other places."

23 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory by CaptPuff · · Score: 4, Funny

    I for one welcome our plastic robot overlords... of the non-vibrating kind...

  2. I have this image.. by hexMonkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    of Michael Jackson stuck to a lamppost

    1. Re:I have this image.. by secretsquirel · · Score: 2, Funny

      huh, so thats it's called these days

  3. Plastic Fantastic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    So this is going to confuse poor operators of MRI machines then. Now they can't even take plastic stuff in. They'll have to go in naked.

    Mmmmm Naked Nurses :)

    1. Re:Plastic Fantastic by Lord+Kano · · Score: 4, Funny

      Mmmmm Naked Nurses :)

      My grandmother and ex-wife are nurses. The naughty nurse fantasy was ruined for me.

      LK

      --
      "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
    2. Re:Plastic Fantastic by ricotest · · Score: 1, Funny

      Damn you, I had assumed the porn movie world was identical to the real world. You shattered that dream!!

    3. Re:Plastic Fantastic by ryanvm · · Score: 1, Funny

      My grandmother and ex-wife are nurses.
      Dude - you were married to your grandma?!?

  4. Coming soon: Refrigerator Magnet Barbie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Whoohoo! In 2007, you'll be able to attach Barbie to the fridge.

  5. Dentures by pjt33 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does this mean people with ferromagnetic dentures will have to stop eating McDonalds cheeseburgers?

  6. Cool! by TheDigitalOne · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does this mean that I can now stick my floppy discs to the refrigerator without wiping out the data?

    Heh :)

    1. Re:Cool! by kirk444 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Plastic magnets are clearly too advanced for you if you're still using floppy disks.

  7. Ohdear... by tigress · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is going to have some serious implications on the world's superhero balance of power.

  8. What people think by shfted! · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... and people say my inflatable girlfriend doesn't have a magnetic personality! Fah!

    --
    He who laughs last is stuck in a time dilation bubble.
  9. Meltdown by darth_silliarse · · Score: 2, Funny

    One of the most likely applications is in the magnetic coating of computer hard discs, which could lead to a new generation of high-capacity discs The way my disk gets hammered the bloody thing would melt in a minute :o)

    --
    I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born - Ronald Reagan
  10. Re:I remeber... by wizrd_nml · · Score: 2, Funny
    some researchers that managed to create a conductive plastic; it was a remarkably better conductor than cooper.

    Oh dear. I sure am glad I wasn't cooper when they tried to figure out how conductive he is...

  11. Medical applications by Lenale · · Score: 2, Funny

    From the article: "And in addition to computer hard discs, the team thinks that plastic magnets could have important medical applications, (...). Organic magnetic materials are less likely to be rejected by the body." Who volunteers to become the first human memo board?

  12. Re:Implants by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    She'd stick to the fridge?

  13. As a resident of Durham I should point out... by levell · · Score: 4, Funny

    This article might be a tad misleading, most days room temperature here is about 10 Kelvin if you leave a window open.

    (For people that don't understand the Kelvin temperature scale this is not true and is in fact a bad attempt at humour)

    --
    Struggling to find a day everyone can make? WhenShallWe.com
  14. Re:Implants by RsG · · Score: 1, Funny

    Nah, she'd just jiggle uncontrolably every time she passed through a metal detector...

    Wow, I just got the visual... I forsee a new type of porno niche market...

    And I, for one, welcome our new cosmetically enhanced, magneto-vibrating, porn starlet overlords!

    --
    Erotic is when you use a feather. Exotic is when you use the whole chicken.
  15. Re:Potential for high-end audio applications? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You mean 24-carat gold plated connectors don't improve the quality of the music?

  16. INSENSITIVE CLOD! by Eric_Cartman_South_P · · Score: 3, Funny
    Whoohoo! In 2007, you'll be able to attach Barbie to the fridge.

    But I need to attach her to the fridge NOW!

  17. This is really going to ruin cartoons by IronChefMorimoto · · Score: 2, Funny

    With the advent of plastic magnets, I feel strongly that this will ruin the hilarity new versions of the Wiley Coyote cartoons, for example. I grew up watching that infamous episode where Wiley buys an ACME nuclear (or similarly powered) magnet that he puts out in the desert. It was huge -- 2 stories tall, assuming Wiley was as tall as a person.

    He fed that annoying RoadRunner BBs and birdseed and turned on the magnet.

    It pulled in things like satellites, cars, boats, etc.

    Now, with this new invention -- plastic magnets -- a new version of that episode just won't have the cool metallic clanginess of the old version. No more battleship hulls grinding up against the metallic magnet from the old version. No more tink-tink of small forks and spoons getting sucked in to the magnet.

    No...it'll just be a relatively un-entertaining "thunk."

    Sometimes, we should just stop technological progress while we're ahead.

    And fuck the RoadRunner -- can NO ONE run that fucking bird over?

    IronChefMorimoto

  18. Why wait? by billbaggins · · Score: 2, Funny
    --
    "The best argument against democracy is a five minute chat with the average voter."
    --Winston Churchill