New Carbon Nanotube Super-Rubber Could Be Used For Sneakers And Spacecraft
Japanese researchers have developed a new viscoelastic super-rubber, a carbon nanotube-based material that flows like honey, stretches like elastic and can survive a huge range of temperatures. Normally, viscoelastic materials, like foam earplugs and mattresses, perform well in moderate temperatures - but they break down when they get too hot and harden when they get too cold. Silicone rubber hardens into glass around 575 degrees F, for instance. The new material deforms under extreme temperatures, but it maintains its strength and quickly recovers its shape. To test its mettle, the researchers let it sit at room temperature, blasted it with a butane torch and froze it with liquid nitrogen. It withstands temperatures from -320 F to 1,832 F, according to the study, which is published today in the journal Science. Related ArticlesHeat-Channeling Carbon Nanotubes Produce 100 Times More Energy than Li-ion BatteriesBest Recycling Ever: Turning Old Plastic Bags into Carbon NanotubesCinnamon...