• Carbon Nanotubes Make Superglue Look Silly

    Carbon Nanotubes Make Superglue Look Silly

    Ewigen Zyniker, Oct 10, 2008 1151 hrs IST

    New material will change the face of glue forever

    print mail share

Scientists at the University of Dayton, Ohio and Georgia Institute of Technology have come up with a new adhesive that mimics the behavior of gecko's feet, which means that not only is it the strongest ever made, it's also the easiest to take off. The feet of the gecko are covered in small hair called setae, which have branches at the end, called spatulae. When the gecko puts its foot on, say, a wall, the setae spread and increase the total surface area that's in contact with the wall. Thanks to molecular forces between the wall and the setae, the gecko's relatively small foot can hold its entire body up.

Using carbon nanotubes, the scientists have created a similar structure to create an adhesive pad that is effectively a nanotube forest. They tested a square centimeter of the pad on materials ranging from Teflon to sandpaper, and found that it can support up to 1.6 kg when pulled parallel to the surface. This means that if you're light (and strong) enough, you could coat your hands with this stuff and be able to pull off a Spider-Man-like wall-climb if you wished. The best part, however, is that like the gecko, you can un-stick this pad just by pulling it in the right direction -- in this case, perpendicular to the surface you're stuck to. Which means that if you try clinging to ceilings, you're going to wind up a bloody mess on the ground. Source: NewScientist

Follow Us

Related Links
Detect Cancer Agents With Carbon Nanotubes
Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte Successor Revealed
Motorola Renew -- Eco-friendly Phone
Tag keywords
superglue carbon nanotubes



Discussion Board
(7) Comments
Nanoshel
,Panchkula, on Nov 11, 2008 11:39 AM
NANOSHEL makes more than 50 types of products, among which the main products are nanotubes, SWCNT?s, MWCNT?s, nanoparticles,. These products are widely used in the fields such as textile industry, ceramics, chemical fiber, plastics, coatings, cosmetics, rubber, electrical and electronic equipments, electric power generation and boiler and so on. Through providing the customers with nanomaterials and the application process solution, the company commits itself to assist clients to improve the functionality and technology content of the products so that the clients can promote their product added-values and market competitive competencies, keep their creative advantages for a long time in the concerned fields and make good economic benefits.
Report abuse
P V SUMAN KUMAR
,HYDERABAD, on Oct 14, 2008 07:48 PM
I really like this creation. Its really useful for Security Personaal to handle critical cases verye asily.
Report abuse
holly
,victoria bc, on Oct 13, 2008 03:09 AM
but that only means if you pull oll four limbs away at a time won't the other three limbs hold you in place while you reposition you limb ????
Report abuse
Ernie Nucup
,Hampton, on Oct 10, 2008 06:54 PM
Puts a new light on sticky feet.
Report abuse
Robert
,Crystal Lake, IL, on Oct 10, 2008 01:25 PM
A study led by Alexandra Porter from the University of Cambridge shows that CNTs can enter human cells and once inside accumulate in the cytoplasm and cause cell death. Great, another technology that will be mass produced and cause lung and other types of cancer.
Report abuse
Mel
,Grand Junction, on Oct 10, 2008 05:36 PM
A bit of a leap from one study showing that CNTs can cause cell death to conclusions about causing cancer.
Report abuse
Ben Carnevale
,harrisonburg, on Oct 10, 2008 05:55 PM
Cancer is unregulated cell growth, not death.
Report abuse

Opinion Poll

USER REVIEWS