Nanotech material at UT-Dallas is revolutionary

[TexasTowelie]

Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer

Kanzan “KZ” Inoue (right) and Ray Baughman have big plans for superstrong yet light cSilk.


RICHARDSON — Ray Baughman and Kanzan “KZ” Inoue envision humanoid robots with Terminator strength, an ultralight ladder stretching into space and cars that weigh only slightly more than the people inside them.

OK, so don’t expect these mind-boggling innovations anytime soon.

But these local nanotechnology masterminds say we’re about to see a proliferation of products that are lighter, stronger and more versatile than anything possible today, thanks to a partnership between the University of Texas at Dallas and the U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Lintec Group.

Nanotubes, which look like tiny tubes under a microscope, are powder particles 1,000 times finer than a human hair and stronger per pound than steel. They’re transparent and have thermal, acoustic and electrical properties.

Read more and see more photos at: http://www.dallasnews.com/business/columnists/cheryl-hall/20150207-nanotech-material-at-ut-dallas-is-revolutionary.ece

[bloomington-lib]

1. It'll be exciting watching things like the space elevator develop, but hopefully someone is

also working on how to get rid of this stuff too. I'm guess it's not biodegradable, and it's probably not desirable to have this stuff floating in our oceans, air, or in our blood stream.

[TexasTowelie]

2. It looks like high temperature incineration is the most likely option for waste disposal.

http://nanotech.law.asu.edu/Documents/2009/08/nano-waste_199_5154.pdf

[DetlefK]

6. CNTs are actually very dangerous for organisms.

Just the other day I was told by a scientist that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are dangerous when they enter an organism: An organism consists mainly of flexible molecules, but the CNTs are short, pointy and hard and could damage cell-walls.

[Scuba]

3. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, Governor Wanker proposed cutting $300M from the University ....

... budget and tells faculty to stop research as their job is to just prepare drones for the workforce.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. "and have thermal, acoustic and electrical properties. " Well, I would hope so. nt

[caraher]

5. Gotta love the writing in that press release <nt>

[Orrex]

7. Yes, but do they have mass and do they occupy space?