Found this interesting, maybe the next generation of gliders "Buckypaper" may eventually see use in aircraft, cars.
The AP <http://links.mkt256.com/ctt?kn=48&m=2677499&r=MzY3MjgxMDI0NgS2&b=0&j=MT AwOTY3Nzk4S0&mt=1&rt=0> (10/19, Kaczor) reported on "buckypaper," which "is 10 times lighter but potentially 500 times stronger than steel when sheets of it are stacked and pressed together to form a composite." And, "unlike conventional composite materials," buckypaper "conducts electricity like copper or silicon and disperses heat like steel or brass." Currently, the material "can be made at only a fraction of its potential strength, in small quantities and at a high price." However, researchers at Florida State University "are developing manufacturing techniques that soon may make it competitive with the best composite materials now available." The AP noted that "buckypaper is made from tube-shaped carbon molecules 50,000 times thinner than a human hair." Due to its characteristics, "it is envisioned as a wondrous new material for light, energy-efficient aircraft and automobiles, more powerful computers, improved TV screens, and many other products." The article details the development, and the related difficulties, of the material. Wired <http://links.mkt256.com/ctt?kn=7&m=2677499&r=MzY3MjgxMDI0NgS2&b=0&j=MTA wOTY3Nzk4S0&mt=1&rt=0> 's (10/17) Gadget Lab blog, Brian X. Chen noted that, "in 1985, a team of scientists at Rice University serendipitously discovered the origins of Buckypaper while conducting an experiment examining how stars produce carbon. An unexpected finding was a ball of 60 carbon atoms, which scientists named 'Buckyballs.'" Following this discovery, "researchers at Arizona State University discovered the carbon nanotubes of Buckyballs would stick together and could be produced into a small film." http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/T/TEC_BUCKYPAPER?SITE=WIRE&SECTION =HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-10-18-03-35-31 The material contained in this email may be confidential, privileged or copyrighted. If you are not the intended recipient, use, disclosure or copying of this information is prohibited. If you have received this document in error, please advise the sender and delete the document. Neither OneSteel nor the sender accept responsibility for any viruses contained in this email or any attachments.
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