Off Topic > Off Topic
The internet is a series of nanotubes
pixl:
Oh, I saw "the Internet is a s..."
I thought the title was "the Internet is a sesspool"
Azimuth:
a good interneter would have though a series of tubes
zz_tophat:
--- Quote ---recently a New Hampshire based company made a man-sized blanket out of nanotubes
--- End quote ---
Edit: Another Quote this time from Wikipedia:
--- Quote ---Solar cells
Solar cells developed at the New Jersey Institute of Technology use a carbon nanotube complex, formed by a mixture of carbon nanotubes and carbon buckyballs (known as fullerenes) to form snake-like structures. Buckyballs trap electrons, although they can't make electrons flow. Add sunlight to excite the polymers, and the buckyballs will grab the electrons. Nanotubes, behaving like copper wires, will then be able to make the electrons or current flow.[77]
Ultracapacitors
MIT Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems uses nanotubes to improve ultracapacitors. The activated charcoal used in conventional ultracapacitors has many small hollow spaces of various size, which create together a large surface to store electric charge. But as charge is quantized into elementary charges, i.e. electrons, and each such elementary charge needs a minimum space, a significant fraction of the electrode surface is not available for storage because the hollow spaces are not compatible with the charge's requirements. With a nanotube electrode the spaces may be tailored to size—few too large or too small—and consequently the capacity should be increased considerably.[78]
Other applications
Carbon nanotubes have been implemented in nanoelectromechanical systems, including mechanical memory elements (NRAM being developed by Nantero Inc.) and nanoscale electric motors (see Nanomotor).
Carbon nanotubes have been proposed as a possible gene delivery vehicle and for use in combination with radiofrequency fields to destroy cancer cells.[79][80]
In May 2005, Nanomix Inc placed on the market a hydrogen sensor which integrated carbon nanotubes on a silicon platform. Since then Nanomix has been patenting many such sensor applications such as in the field of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, glucose, DNA detection etc.
Eikos Inc of Franklin, Massachusetts and Unidym Inc. of Silicon Valley, California are developing transparent, electrically conductive films of carbon nanotubes to replace indium tin oxide (ITO). Carbon nanotube films are substantially more mechanically robust than ITO films, making them ideal for high-reliability touchscreens and flexible displays. Printable water-based inks of carbon nanotubes are desired to enable the production of these films to replace ITO.[81] Nanotube films show promise for use in displays for computers, cell phones, PDAs, and ATMs.
A nanoradio, a radio receiver consisting of a single nanotube, was demonstrated in 2007.
In 2008 it was shown that a sheet of nanotubes can operate as a loudspeaker if an alternating current is applied. The sound is not produced through vibration but thermoacoustically.[82]
Carbon nanotubes are said to have the strength of diamond, and research is being made into weaving them into clothes to create stab-proof and bulletproof clothing. The nanotubes would effectively stop the bullet from penetrating the body, although the bullet's kinetic energy would likely cause broken bones and internal bleeding.[83]
A flywheel made of carbon nanotubes could be spun at extremely high velocity on a floating magnetic axis, and potentially store energy at a density approaching that of conventional fossil fuels. Since energy can be added to and removed from flywheels very efficiently in the form of electricity, this might offer a way of storing electricity, making the electrical grid more efficient and variable power suppliers (like wind turbines) more useful in meeting energy needs. The practicality of this depends heavily upon the cost of making massive, unbroken nanotube structures, and their failure rate under stress.
Rheological properties can also be shown very effectively by carbon nanotubes.
Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes may replace platinum catalysts used to reduce oxygen in fuel cells. A forest of vertically-aligned nanotubes can reduce oxygen in alkaline solution more effectively than platinum, which has been used in such applications since the 1960s. The nanotubes have the added benefit of not being subject to carbon monoxide poisoning.
--- End quote ---
EDIT #2: As some people don't trust wikipedia I found a more reputable source:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/subject/article/nanotubes
Ah, the many uses of Nanotubes.
zz_tophat:
Bump because not enough people are appreciating teh toobs.
Menen:
WOLVERINE IS A ROBOT?