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World's First Practical Plastic Magnet

Posted by timothy on from the demagnetize-your-own-credit-card dept.

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."

4 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. Future conversation by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    "Gee, I really want to get one of those newfangled plastic drives for my PC"

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    READY.
    PRINT ""+-0
  2. You heard it here first! by barcodez · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Coat your HDD in magnets...

    Disclaimer: don't try this at home kids.

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  3. Re:Practical? by pklong · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Erm the point is that this one works at room temperature.

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    Philip

    Signatures are broken

  4. Re:where is it? by RsG · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Not to be a pedantic twit, but doesn't plastic melt or burn at an awfully low temperature? A railgun made of plastic sounds sorta like using wooden bullets to kill a vampire, or a catapult made of balsa wood, Wyll E Coyote style.

    --
    Erotic is when you use a feather. Exotic is when you use the whole chicken.