'Nanotechnology was used by ancient Indians' Monday January 7 2008 07:38 IST Nirad Mudur
Shaadi.com Matrimonial - Register for FREE VISAKHAPATNAM: Ancient Indian swordsmiths used nanotechnology that led to the development of the legendary Damascus Sword, but never had a hint about how much it would be relevant to the field of science far into the future. The legendary sword was used between 1095 AD and 1270 AD to intimidate European invaders of the 'holy lands' of the Islamic civilisation in what came to be known as the Crusades. Nobel Laureate (chemistry) Robert Curl Jr told an enchanted audience at the 95th Indian Science Congress here about how Damascus steel was first made by experts in south and south-central India as long ago as around 300 BC. Curl Jr said it was a fascinating development as the ancient experts were able to apply nano science, without being aware of it, in developing the sword which was known to retain its sharp edge and its toughness due to the composition of carbon in it. The source of the steel was a raw material called wootz steel, an exceptional grade of iron ore first made in the ancient southern and south-central India and Sri Lanka. Wootz was extracted from raw iron ore and formed using a crucible to melt, burn away impurities and add important ingredients, including a high carbon content of nearly 1.5 per cent compared to 0.1 per cent in wrought iron. Curl Jr reminded that even Tipu Sultan used a sword of such high quality steel in his wars against the British in the closing years of the 18th century. Sir Walter Scott in his book Talisman mentions, through a recreation of the scene of October 1192 AD when Richard Lionheart of England met Saladin the Saracen to end the Third Crusade, that Richard wielded a good English broadsword while Saladin had a scimitar of Damascus steel, 'a curved and narrow blade, which glittered not like the swords... but was, on the contrary, of a dull blue colour, marked with ten millions of meandering lines...' Curl Jr explained that the 'meandering lines' were nothing but those caused by fine carbon nano particles which provided toughness to the sword of Damascus steel. Surprisingly, the technology went out of style for reasons yet unknown. European blacksmiths never duplicated the solid core Damascus steel, and the secret of its construction was lost even to Islamic blacksmiths in the mid-18th century. But modern day scientists credit this search for the Damascus steel process as the origins of modern materials science. http://reddit.com/goto?rss=true&id=t3_64u2f mediacare http://www.mediacare.biz [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
