Future Hi: Breakthrough of the Decade: Mass Produced Nanotubes!

August 20, 2005

Breakthrough of the Decade: Mass Produced Nanotubes!

I can't contain my excitement about this.

Jamais over at our favorite blog World Changing, has this to say:

"Researchers from the University of Texas, Dallas, and Australia's CSIRO have developed a way of making strong, stable and amazingly useful ribbons and sheets made of multiwall carbon nanotubes. Their system pushes the material out at seven meters/minute; a Quicktime video of the process in action is here. If you've been following the development of nanotubes, you know what kind of accomplishment this is. In my view, this is the biggest technology breakthrough of the year, quite possibly of the decade."

The reason I'm so excited is this is exactly the type of breakthrough we need to brings us one step closer to building a Space Elevator. The strength of the material made from this method is still not strong enough, but it was the mass-production part that has always been considered the biggest hurdle.

Link to original article.

Posted by paul at August 20, 2005 10:13 AM

Comments

I somehow guessed you would be psyched about this news. I pasted it to you yesterday but I think your client died. People are already talking about using it for car windows that can convey current... shitloads of uses. Perhaps they'll make carbon nanofiber clothing soon. Rip-proof, wrinkle-free, lights up with a battery... :-D Would be cool to wear at the burn..

Posted by: Core at August 20, 2005 11:13 AM

there's already this stuff: http://www.luminex.it/

Posted by: beatsoul at August 20, 2005 11:20 AM

it appears that it would take 100 printers 35 days to make a sheet long enough to reach the geosynchronous orbit. I realize that we need longer fibers to make it strong... but it's an interesting element in forecast re-engineering. Many studies claim it will take 2-3 years to create the ribbon, once it's started.

Posted by: liquis at August 20, 2005 11:27 AM

Interesting beatsoul - I'll have to look into this luminex stuff. Core - this luminex stuff is already commerically available and would be WAY cool for burninman applications of every imaginable type. :)

Liquis - thanks for the calculation! I've been making predictions like this for years while people mocked me. I said that we are less than 5 years away from mass producing carbon nanotubes, and the forum in which I posted this said I was out of my mind. That was two years ago.

Posted by: Paul at August 20, 2005 11:43 AM

There was some Luminex-wear at BM03 - part of our Bollywood crew picked some up at an expo in NY.
It's really pricey.

Posted by: beatsoul at August 21, 2005 06:41 AM

Invention of the decade! (century!) (no, millenia!)

This is the second time in a week that I've heard of a super-invention. The other case being:

LifeStraw
http://www.gizmag.co.uk/go/4418/

Posted by: Philip Dhingra at August 23, 2005 07:49 AM

bullet-proof,stain resistant, fireproof clothing that lights up, can be used to as a computer memory device, light as a feather, yet breaths like cotton.
Light weight evironmetally freindly infinitely rechargable batteries.
Insulating, flexible, shatterproof windows that could double as a tv/computer screen.
space elevator.
commercial jet planes capable of leaving and re-entering the atmosphere.
These are just a few of the possiblities this one dicovery could lead to.
Compared to it the light bulb was a pretty good idea.

Posted by: lander at August 28, 2005 05:29 AM

Very nice blog.

Posted by: Milen at September 1, 2005 09:15 PM

Yeah, this is way-cool, too! Things are super-exponentially accelerating and coalesing very nicely. Just 15 years (+/- 5) and Eutopia'll be here. Let's continue to shepard its coming carefully and joyfully!! Live LONG and PROSPER!!

Posted by: MCP2012 at September 5, 2005 06:18 PM