Nanotubes find niche in electric switches—"10 times less resistance" than metalic brushes

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=12257&SnID=1471742953

03/10/2009

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Nanotubes find niche in electric switches
Study finds nanotube structures could improve electric motors

New research from Rice University and the University of Oulu in Oulu, Finland, finds that carbon nanotubes could significantly improve the performance of electrical commutators that are common in electric motors and generators.

The research, which appeared online this month in the journal Advanced Materials, finds that "brush contact" pads made of carbon nanotubes had 10 times less resistance than did the carbon-copper composite brushes commonly used today. Brush contacts are an integral part of "commutators," or spinning electrical switches used in many battery-powered electrical devices, such as cordless drills.

"The findings show that nanotubes have a great deal of practical relevance as brush contacts," said lead researcher Pulickel Ajayan, Rice's Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. "The technology is widely used in industry, both in consumer gadgets as well as larger electrical machinery, so this could be a very interesting, near-term application for nanotubes." The combination of mechanical and electrical properties of nanotubes makes this possible.

The carbon nanotubes used in the study are hollow tubes of pure carbon that are about 30 nanometers in diameter. By comparison, a human hair is about 100,000 nanometers in diameter. In addition to being small, nanotubes are also extremely lightweight and durable, and they are excellent conductors of heat and electricity.

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[a kennedy]

1. this is great news yes???

:shrug:

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. This is good news

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_motor">Electric motors are already pretty efficient. This has the potential to make one part of the motor much more efficient, making the entire motor somewhat more efficient.