“Globally the quest has been on to find ultrahigh strength composites, leading ORC scientists to investigate light, ultrahigh strength nanowires that are not compromised by defects. Historically, carbon nanotubes were the strongest material available, but high strengths could only be measured in very short samples just a few microns long, providing little practical value.” “Now research by ORC Principal Research Fellow Dr Gilberto Brambilla and ORC Director Professor Sir David Payne has resulted in the creation of the strongest, lightest weight silica nanofibres - nanowires that are 15 times stronger than steel and can be manufactured in lengths potentially of 1000s of kilometres.” Silica and oxygen, required to produce nanowires, are the two most common elements on the earths crust, making it sustainable and cheap to exploit. Furthermore, we can produce silica nanofibres by the tonne, just as we currently do for the optical fibres that power the internet. phys.org/news/2013-01-stronger-steel-scientists-strongest-lightest.html#jCp
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 18:00:15 +0000
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