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Synthetic Materials Set New World Record For Greatest Amount of Surface Area

Posted by Soulskill on from the narrowly-beating-out-your-mamma dept.

Zothecula writes "Researchers at Northwestern University, Illinois, have broken a world record in the creation of two synthetic materials, named NU-109 and NU-110, which have the greatest amount of surface areas of any material to date (abstract). To put this into perspective: if one were able to take a crystal of NU-110 the size of a grain of salt, and somehow unfold it, the surface area would cover a desktop. Additionally, the internal surface area of just one gram of the new material would cover one-and-a-half football fields."

10 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. SI units, please by Lumpio- · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Could we have the equivalent of "a desktop" and "one-and-a-half football fields" in a more scientific unit? I'm not American enough to remember how big a "football field" is.

    1. Re:SI units, please by binarylarry · · Score: 5, Funny

      How many magic bags of holding is it comparable to?

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      Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
    2. Re:SI units, please by TapeCutter · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's the old woman who gave birth to your "mom".

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  2. What are the implications? by joelwhitehouse · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The article says the synthetic material is porous. Can this material be used as a water filter? If the material forms a cage like structure, can it be used in medicine to trap a virus or bacterium before infection occurs? What can you do with such a material?

    1. Re:What are the implications? by jo_ham · · Score: 3, Informative

      Catalysis, gas storage, filtering, scaffolds for molecular construction etc.

      Extremely high surface area materials are already extensively used in chemistry for this sort of thing.

    2. Re:What are the implications? by SydShamino · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Depending on its electrical properties it could be a component of an ultracapacitor.

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      It doesn't hurt to be nice.
    3. Re:What are the implications? by Jade_Wayfarer · · Score: 5, Funny

      I thought Mexicans were unquestionable leaders in this field?

      (Hey, I have nothing against Mexicans or even light drugs like the weed, really.)

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      Absence of proof != proof of absence.
  3. Capacitor by pcjunky · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder how large a capacitor density could e made with this stuff?

  4. Re:It's bigger... by boarder8925 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Time and Relative Dimension in Salt

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    Keep your eyes to the sky.
  5. A video about MOFs by chriswilmer · · Score: 3, Informative

    For those of you who are curious to know more about our MOF research at Northwestern University: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaKSekjAnqY