How can something as small as nanotubes do so much? This is the question being asked across America as researchers look at nanotechnology applications for single atoms of carbon that can be combined with other particles to act as sensors, repairers, barrier strengtheners and electric conductors. The possibilities are limitless as we embark upon the new field of nanoscience. Started in 1989, there is still much to learn about how the nano-particles work, as well as the long-term risks of exposure to these atoms and molecules.
To create a string of nanotubes, scientists assemble trillions of strings of individual carbon nano tubes, which are comprised of cylindrical sheets of carbon atoms. In the past, nano sheets were made much like paper is made, by filtering solutions full of nano tubes, peeling the nanomaterials off and letting them dry for a week. Today, lab workers can grow nano forests of bundles stacked vertically, drawing numerous tiny tubes to sheets of duct tape, producing seven meters of sheets per minute. Ray Baughman explains: “A trillion nano tubes must be automatically rotated by about 90 degrees and self-assembled in a parallel fashion for every meter-long, 7 centimeter-wide sheet that we make.”
In the future, researchers believe that nanotubes may be able to help electronic devices repair their own circuitry. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign scientists says that a crack in the circuitry could trigger capsules of carbon tubes that will effectively bridge the gap. The real benefit would likely not be seen in laptops, cell phones or iPods so much as submarines, satellites and space shuttle systems. PopSci Magazine reports other “self-healing” materials on the horizon may include rubber, concrete and paint.
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