Comments on: Super Rubber Made of Nanotubes Stretches Like Elastic, Oozes Like Honey

By: rabidmob

rabidmob — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:56:36 +0000

Will we instead be able to turn carbon into one of our most important building materials?

By: Eliza Strickland

Eliza Strickland — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:15:34 +0000

@ Robert: You’re quite right about Titan. We should have caught that error in Discovery’s write-up. Thanks.

– Eliza, DISCOVER online news editor

By: Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:02:47 +0000

I hereby dub this: Flubber.

By: K

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 20:58:52 +0000

Is this the material that the memory foam Tempurpedic uses for beds? They have known about that for years. My only question is whether or not the material holds heat. If so, it could cause sweating, a not very pleasant sleeping condition.

By: Mike Ruark

Mike Ruark — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 20:55:15 +0000

You bet silly putty is still available! … & i think perhaps the resilience of the carbon at 1,000 degrees may have a bit to do with the molecular structure of the carbon atoms? when I place *graphite crucibles into the 1,000 degree Celsius furnace of my university’s geochemistry lab, they eventually ‘thin out’ as if sublimating… so carbon sheets aren’t stable, but apparently carbon nano tubes are! I think the guy who manages our lab would love to get some carbon nanotube crucibles! If they’re flexible that’d make popping samples out’of’em even easier too!

By: Robert

Robert — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 19:54:43 +0000

Titan is one of Saturn’s moons, not Jupiter.

By: Georg

Georg — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 10:17:30 +0000

“Viscoelasticity is seen in a variety of materials, including amorphous and semicrystalline polymers, some biomaterials, crystals and even some metallic alloys.”

A much better example is “Silly Putty”.
Or is that no longer available?
Georg

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:04:44 +0000

I’m surprised carbon nanotubes aren’t combustible at 1000 °C. But then, I’m not a chemist.