"Let's say you have a computer chip collecting information on the ground and 10 minutes later you want it to flip over, or self destruct, or ignite so that it will show up on an infrared or night-vision camera," says Sailor. "What we've shown in this paper is that a small voltage can be used to ignite this chip, so you don't need any devices other than the tiny voltages you already have flowing through the electronic circuits of the chip. You just need to send them through the part of the chip that contains the blasting cap."
"Other possible security or military applications of this explosive might be the construction of information-collecting devices that self-destruct. "Let's say you've built a secret electronic device that you don't want someone to take apart or to find out how it works," says Sailor. "You could build a self-destruct mechanism into the computer chip that would basically destroy it and any information that had been stored on it."
>Here's what the article says about Sodium Borohydride...
>"To solve those problems, Chrysler's system stores hydrogen in sodium borohydride powder, which is nonflammable and nontoxic"
Aparently the article is wrong; the following is what Millenium's web page says:
"Q: How does Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand(TM) system store and generate hydrogen?
A: Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand(TM) system stores hydrogen in an innocuous water-based solution of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). This is a
benign, non-flammable solution that produces Hydrogen on Demand(TM); that is, only when exposed to a catalyst. When this solution, or fuel, comes into contact with the catalyst, hydrogen is released from the solution. When the fuel is not in contact with the catalyst, the solution is inert and no hydrogen is generated. After the solution has been in contact with the catalyst, the borohydride fuel is converted to a borate solution, which is collected in a waste tank. This borate solution is recyclable into new borohydride fuel."
Note that the anhydrous form (powder) is extremely reactive and corrosive. Ingesting the powder would cause severe internal burns because it violently sucks the water out of any flesh it comes in contact with (sounds painful!). But they say they use a "water-based solution". The solution, however, is not as reactive because it has already done the reaction with water, and needs a catalyst to continue breaking down into borax and hydrogen.
I'm curious, though, about how they form this solution in the first place.
Upgrade kits aren't available yet, AFAIK, but are certainly possible. (Here's a golden oportunity for aftermarket car part companies!).
1) converting a carburator-equipped conventional car:
remove gas tank, gas filter, carburator;
replace with Hydrogen-on-demand unit with special adapter to replace carb with catlyst unit.
2) converting a fuel-injected conventional car:
remove gas tank, gas filter, fuel-injector system;
replace with Hydrogen-on-demand unit with special fuel injectors that handle hydrogen. The Electronic Control Unit would probably also have to be modified or replaced.
3) converting an electric car:
remove batteries, replace with Hydrogen-on-demand unit and fuel cells.
But Lain is an anime *about* computers, hackers, and the internet! So it seems to me that discussion of it is quite appropriate on this site!
Go look at http://www.cjas.org/~leng/lain.htm to see what I mean.
Slashdot Mirror
From the article:
"Let's say you have a computer chip collecting information on the ground and 10 minutes later you want it to flip over, or self destruct, or ignite so that it will show up on an infrared or night-vision camera," says Sailor. "What we've shown in this paper is that a small voltage can be used to ignite this chip, so you don't need any devices other than the tiny voltages you already have flowing through the electronic circuits of the chip. You just need to send them through the part of the chip that contains the blasting cap."
"Other possible security or military applications of this explosive might be the construction of information-collecting devices that self-destruct. "Let's say you've built a secret electronic device that you don't want someone to take apart or to find out how it works," says Sailor. "You could build a self-destruct mechanism into the computer chip that would basically destroy it and any information that had been stored on it."
>Here's what the article says about Sodium Borohydride...
>"To solve those problems, Chrysler's system stores hydrogen in sodium borohydride powder, which is nonflammable and nontoxic"
Aparently the article is wrong; the following is what Millenium's web page says:
"Q: How does Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand(TM) system store and generate hydrogen?
A: Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand(TM) system stores hydrogen in an innocuous water-based solution of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). This is a
benign, non-flammable solution that produces Hydrogen on Demand(TM); that is, only when exposed to a catalyst. When this solution, or fuel, comes into contact with the catalyst, hydrogen is released from the solution. When the fuel is not in contact with the catalyst, the solution is inert and no hydrogen is generated. After the solution has been in contact with the catalyst, the borohydride fuel is converted to a borate solution, which is collected in a waste tank. This borate solution is recyclable into new borohydride fuel."
Note that the anhydrous form (powder) is extremely reactive and corrosive. Ingesting the powder would cause severe internal burns because it violently sucks the water out of any flesh it comes in contact with (sounds painful!). But they say they use a "water-based solution". The solution, however, is not as reactive because it has already done the reaction with water, and needs a catalyst to continue breaking down into borax and hydrogen.
I'm curious, though, about how they form this solution in the first place.
Upgrade kits aren't available yet, AFAIK, but are certainly possible. (Here's a golden oportunity for aftermarket car part companies!).
1) converting a carburator-equipped conventional car:
remove gas tank, gas filter, carburator;
replace with Hydrogen-on-demand unit with special adapter to replace carb with catlyst unit.
2) converting a fuel-injected conventional car:
remove gas tank, gas filter, fuel-injector system;
replace with Hydrogen-on-demand unit with special fuel injectors that handle hydrogen. The Electronic Control Unit would probably also have to be modified or replaced.
3) converting an electric car:
remove batteries, replace with Hydrogen-on-demand unit and fuel cells.
But Lain is an anime *about* computers, hackers, and the internet! So it seems to me that discussion of it is quite appropriate on this site! Go look at http://www.cjas.org/~leng/lain.htm to see what I mean.