indwe magazine – Oct 2005

Nanotechnology
A Revolution of Infinitely Small Proportions

Imagine a sheet of fibreglass-like material 100 times stronger than steel, 6 times lighter than steel, and vastly more conductive than copper. Well, it’s real, it’s here, and it’s called Zylon. Advancements in the science-fiction-like realm of nanotechnology have now led to the discovery of this revolutionary material, with far reaching implications for everyday technological solutions. Produced from Single-Walled Nanotubes (SWNTs), Scientists indicate that Zylon will have far reaching benefits for electronics, computer disk storage and medicine delivery. However, the first application of this magic fibre will more than likely be seen in the construction of Formula One cars and the next generation of airplanes.

Text: James Kennedy
Images: © Getty Images/Touchline Photo
Nanotechnology works with atoms and molecules on a nanoscale, with a nanometre being one billionth of a metre – roughly the size difference between a tennis ball and the earth! Materials of this size do not behave as they would in bulk objects, thus they can be engineered to behave with rather novel and revolutionary properties. Superconductivity and the capability for extreme strength, whilst remaining lightweight, are some of the characteristics of nanoparticles that excite scientists the most.
Universities and research institutions in America and Australia have recently shown that the use of single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) in construction materials could revolutionise everything, from battery-less ultra-light cellular phones, to solar powered cars. Nanotubes are tiny cylinders of carbon atoms that possess 100 times the strength of steel, with a sixth of its weight. In lab testing they have also shown solar cell capabilities, using sunlight to generate and conduct electricity. Materials produced from SWNTs would thus be ideal for high-speed racing cars and airplanes, creating light, durable bodies that could also generate electricity.
Researchers from the Rice University in Texas have been developing industrial processes that would make the widespread use of carbon nanotubes viable. In the past nanotubes have been difficult to work with. The cylinders are strongly attracted to one another and are inclined to bunch together. Also, the chemical storage of nanotubes after their processing has traditionally been in concentrations of detergent and water solutions. However, these solutions contain less than 1 percent of scattered nanotubes, far too little to support large-scale industrial production.
By using strong acids to dissolve the nanotubes into liquid form, chemical engineers at Rice were able to produce solutions more than 10 times the concentration previously achieved. The process has been described as being similar to that of making Kevlar, the substance currently used in everything from bulletproof vests to combat helmets. Kevlar is only five times the strength of an equal steel weight in comparison to the extraordinary strength of SWNTs. Experts are already lauding the commercial implications of nanotube-reinforced composites. “We are going to have dramatic developments in the textile materials field over the next 10 or 20 years because of nanotechnology, specifically carbon nanotubes,” says Satish Kumar, a professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Polymer, Textile and Fiber Engineering.
In the August edition of Science journal scientists from the University of Texas and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation have reported that they could industrially produce sheets of carbon nanotubes at a rate of 47 feet per minute. They contend that this proves mainstream use is not far off. “We could see this on Formula One cars by next season,” says Andrew Barron of Rice University. “This is a jumping-off point for a technology a lot of people will pursue.”
However, others are not completely convinced that the new methods will sufficiently reduce the high costs of processing SWNTs. At present nanotubes come at a cost of hundreds of dollars per gram. “We’ll really have to wait to see the impact this has and whether it will pan out in commercial technology,” says Shalom Wind, a nanotube expert from Columbia University in New York. A lot of funding for the research thus far has come from the US federal government, Defence Department and NASA, who see a priority in the development of such technology. The US Air Force in collaboration with Kumar has already been able to add nanotubes into a substance called Zylon, the strongest polymeric fibre in the world. According to Kumar, “Every major polymer fibre company in the world is now paying attention to the potential impact of carbon nanotubes.”
Much like a host of other materials that did not exist to mankind 100 years ago, we might soon find these new developments as indispensable elements to everyday life. Don’t expect to see Mr Price selling a new range of bulletproof Zylon T-shirts this summer, but with the increase of cheaper, more practical ways to produce revolutionary materials like Zylon, it will not be long before the likes of Messrs Alonso and Schumacher can start to reap the rewards.
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