What is Digg?40 Comments
- aflaks, on 05/28/2008, -0/+26thats good, cause i was getting quite sick of the old ones
- thall, on 05/28/2008, -1/+11Cool....one use for this is it will make it cheaper to build dense "super capacitors". This is this the kind of thing that will help replace our current battery technology. Imagine an EV car with batteries weighing a fraction of the equivalent number of lead-acid batteries.
- oojamaflip2006, on 05/28/2008, -0/+9There is a study published in Nature (Nanotechnology DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2008.111) showing that individual nanotubes can shred the lung lining in the same way as asbestos. However inhalation of particulate nanotubes is unlikely because their electrical charge tends to make them clump together into particles that are too heavy to become airborne.
So yes they can, but no, they wont. - SeventhSon, on 05/28/2008, -0/+8Science rules.
- leerayIG88, on 05/28/2008, -0/+7A series of tubes
- Rhettsta, on 05/28/2008, -1/+8the singularity is coming
- LLLSecretChimp, on 05/28/2008, -0/+5Yeah, and if you drop a gold ingot on your foot, you can break your toe.
- thall, on 05/28/2008, -0/+4I don't think that's the technique the article was referring to
- thall, on 05/28/2008, -0/+3I don't think the intent was to sell them like licorice.
- dodgejon, on 05/28/2008, -6/+8This is way over my head... I feel like I should Digg it because it's on the front page...
- encumbent, on 05/29/2008, -0/+2Supercaps aren't battery replacements - they need to be used in conjunction with batteries..
- thall, on 05/28/2008, -0/+2Clearly those have been mentioned as other uses for them.
BTW, gasoline is more dangerous than a capacitor. You only need to make sure to not short out a charged capacitor. The same is true for lead-acid batteries, and despite the fact that those can also explode and give acid burns the risk is still low enough that we put them in our cars and motorcycles. - LLLSecretChimp, on 05/28/2008, -0/+2If the comparison to asbestos is apt, I'm not worried. Asbestos is mainly a hazard to those who work with it, but once once in place is pretty benign.
There's plenty of nasty chemicals we deal with every day. We'll just have to decide if the benefits outweigh the risks, like every other technology.
Also, carbon burns, so disposal probably won't be all that difficult. - slothboyck, on 05/28/2008, -0/+2I actually saw these things on an episode of the Discovery Channel's short-lived, but incredibly awesome series "Extreme Engineering". Sounds like they're pretty awesome.
- ladon86, on 05/28/2008, -0/+1Less of the attitude, carbon nano-tubes are good but my interest lies in Copper nanotubes.
***** are fascinating!
I think the latest research on ***** will help us all. I welcome any news on ***** segments.
Read this paper to find out more:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/l.a.don/*****.pdf - encumbent, on 05/30/2008, -0/+1They provide the power (rate capability) required for electric vehicles to run in a comparable way to petrol vehicles, your mobile flash to be so bright, etc but are nowhere near the capacity of our best battery technology. They only store built up charge, not create (or store) that charge through redox reactions.. Fundamentally, in addition to practically, very different..
Also they are making the electrode materials out of carbon nanotubes already (not sure if commercially, but wouldn't be suprised - china loves the things), this mainly just facilitates greater rate capability with a bit more charge.. - Diderotten, on 05/28/2008, -1/+2Are you telling me you understand the complicated nuances of nanotube structures and disagree what top scientists are saying?
- Tyr7BE, on 05/28/2008, -3/+4Why are you being dugg down? They actually are (well, some of them).
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2 ... - thall, on 05/29/2008, -0/+1..only because today their storage is much less than a battery's. Other than capacity there's no reason supercaps can't replace batteries. Once they're manufactured with carbon nanotubes they will store much more, maybe comparable to a battery. Even if such a supercap can only store 1/4 of the energy of an equivalently sized battery, it would be a good enough replacement for a lot of devices.
- majorca, on 05/28/2008, -0/+1Right
- niehls, on 05/28/2008, -0/+1Nanotubes are indeed promising for integration into highly scaled electronics, but it should be noted that it is not the 'choice' candidate. Semiconducting carbon nanotubes have excellent intrinsic material properties, except for the fact that it is hard to make ohmic contacts (they tend to be schottky-contacts), and that it has for long been a problem to predict whether a given nanotube will be semiconducting or metallic. They are also extremely flexible which is a problem in batch processing of nanotubes into electronics.
At this point I would say other technologies such as Si or III-V nanowires, tri-gates and so on are just as likely candidates for highly scaled electronics. - ianbirtwistle, on 05/28/2008, -0/+1It seems the biggest problem at the moment is being able to create a long series of tubes linked together. At the moment they can only create small strands before they break.
Once they crack that everything will be made from nanotubes! - VitriolAndAngst, on 05/28/2008, -0/+1This is a bigger issue than the people posting above realize. There is too much trust in the "benign" nature of carbon. The FDA and other organizations don't seem to be tracking this at all. But a nano-structure can completely change the chemical properties of the material. Nano-particles may not break down the way "normal" materials do, and they seem to be highly cancerous.
Sure, they might not be making nano-tube computers and wires in areas that would create a cloud -- but if there isn't thought as to how to handle and dispose of nano-materials, they can prove to be a much worse toxic waste than anyone ever realized. - encumbent, on 05/29/2008, -0/+1I thought the same for a while, but there is apparently some new research (can't cite) that indicates this may not be the case. Carbon is not harmful in the body, and the size of the tubes means they can be flushed out or not cause any bad side effects.. Asbestos consists of ceramic micro-sized (three orders of magnitude difference to nano) needles that once in, can't come out - by my understanding they become nucleation sites for cancers..
The NPR I've heard has been alarmist propaganda most of the time.. but that's just me.. and I'm not american..
- 'I realised family and country were one in same' COME ON! P-L-E-A-S-E that was the worst propaganda since WWII.. Nationalism will destroy this world.. OK, rant over :) - Kenzan, on 05/28/2008, -1/+1Micro Spaghetti and Nano-Meatballs FTW.
- 1033, on 05/28/2008, -0/+0Then get back to making your cheezburgers.
- Jedon13, on 05/28/2008, -0/+0I was just contemplating a demonstration of the strength of nanotube wires to be used for the beanstalk space elevator and was imagining what would happen to bystanders if the cable broke, since it's so thin wouldn't it slice and dice like diamond coated fishing line?
- ChaosProfessor, on 05/28/2008, -4/+4they talked about this on NPR the other day apparently these do the same as asbestos if you breathe them in
- daemonix, on 05/28/2008, -1/+1Do not eat.
- miggyshiggy, on 05/29/2008, -0/+0these guys are lying. everyone knows it was a talking snake in a tree.
- twiztidsinz, on 05/28/2008, -3/+3The internet is a series of nanotubes. It is not a nanotruck.
- ligyron, on 05/28/2008, -4/+3I'm a genius. ***** you all
- katorga, on 05/28/2008, -2/+021st century asbestos! RAWR Science! Got to keep the Sokolov law firm in business with mesothelioma cases.
- rasmasyean, on 05/28/2008, -3/+0It would be better if they can make giant building and suspentionless bridges. Your super-capacitor is a nice idea but it's really dangerous and not worth the risk when we already have fuel (although expensive).
- hazard99, on 05/28/2008, -5/+2Baaaah Baaah!
- Dylson, on 05/28/2008, -8/+2Haha nice! Lol.
- jp12380, on 05/28/2008, -13/+7They are hazardous to your health.
- calvmari, on 05/28/2008, -11/+3Picture of Ph. D. student Ariel kissing a pirate: http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t55/OoahLady/Ja ...
- fuckingusername, on 05/28/2008, -13/+4k
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