Carbon nanotubes create a perfect black that could hide bits of the universe
As it turns out, carbon nanotubes create such a perfect, thorough blackness (blacker than Dolemite), that it wipes out a visual dimension completely and can make 3D objects appear 2D or can hide objects entirely. This has practical applications not only for tanks (above), but could be used to hide huge objects in deep space and may shed light (not literally) on why certain parts of space seem completely blacked out.
Discovered by a team of chemists at Rice University in 1985, Buckerminsterfullerene, perhaps better known as C60, was the first known fullerene, a shell of carbon atoms arranged much like a football.
Named after the designs of American engineer Buckminster Fuller, Buckminsterfullerene is the most commonly occurring fullerene in nature, being found in soot for example, and other fullerene shapes have been discovered in the depths of space.
One of the most famous shapes is the carbon nanotube, whose potential applications could revolutionise all manner of areas, from structural engineering to electronics.
Fullerenes have a number of properties, including being soluble and superconductive, and they are of interest to a number of different fields of study to see how useful they could be.
Image: Depiction of C60, Michael Ströck
a series of CARBON NANOtubes
- (Lights up on two scientists, Belle and Kerv having lunch. They are eating bananas.)
- Kerv: So I says, “Oh, that is no carousel, that is my centrifuge!” And ze kids started screaming. You know, on account of their bodies being ripped apart by centrifugal forces.
- Belle: Well, MAYBE we shouldn’t have set that display up at the job fair. And put chairs on the centrifuge. And put up a sign saying, “You must be at least this tall to get on the carousel.”
- Kerv: Vell, you can’t vin them all.
- Belle: Back to my story. And so I poured acid ALL OVER their faces and they were all like, “This is the worst day of show and tell ever!” But frankly, if they didn’t want to get acid poured all over them they shouldn’t have invited a scientist. Of course they didn’t invite me, I just had some extra acid and the day off.
- Kerv: Ah ha ha! That is so funny.
- Belle: I know! Acid is–
- Kerv: I vas still thinking about ze centrifuge.
- (Enter Feldspar. He throws a ream of paper onto the table.)
- Feldspar: You guys both owe me fifty bucks.
- Kerv: But we never bet fifty bucks. I haven’t talked to you in three weeks.
- Feldspar: I know. I was conducting an experiment on how much of a douchebag you’d become if I didn’t talk to you anymore.
- Belle: The results were that YOU became a douchebag.
- Feldspar: How did you guess?! I don’t get to that until page 983 of the report. Anyway, give me those fifty dollars. Also I need all of your research funding for the next three years.
- Belle: No.
- Kerv: Never.
- Feldspar: Ooh, well you guys are just gonna really hate me for this. I took all of the money from your personal and research bank accounts.
- (Pause.)
- Kerv: Vat.
- Belle: EXCUSE ME?!
- (Pause.)
- Feldspar: CARBON. NANOTUBES.
- (Pause.)
- Kerv: Vat.
- Belle: EXCUSE ME?!
- Feldspar: I have invented the most fantastic carbon nanotubes. They’re made of both carbon and nanotubes. All the clothes I’m currently wearing? Made of carbon nanotubes.
- Belle: They’re not made of carbon nanotubes, they’re made of COTTON. And HOW did you get my bank account number?
- Feldspar: EXACTLY. Cotton is made of carbon nanotubes. You know what else is made of carbon nanotubes? Your bank account. Just switched some of the tubes around and I got all the money. Know what I spent it on? CARBON NANOTUBES.
- Kerv: I do not understand what you have used the carbon nanotubes FOR.
- Feldspar: SPACE ELEVATOR.
- Kerv: Vat?!
- Feldspar: SPACE. ELEVATOR.
- Kerv: Excuse me while I go call lawyer.
- Feldspar: Too late. Your lawyer’s made of carbon nanotubes.
- (Kerv walks away anyway.)
- Belle: So, you want to make a SPACE ELEVATOR with CARBON NANOTUBES.
- Feldspar: Yes.
- Belle: And you think that’s a good idea?
- Feldspar: Yes.
- Belle: Have you been reading Arthur C. Clarke?
- Feldspar: Maybe.
- Belle: So, what are you going to do? Just use really long carbon nanotubes to string the elevator up?
- Feldspar: Yup.
- Belle: What if they break?
- Feldspar: I guess I’ll have to make some ropes out of carbon nanotubes and tie them all together...WITH CARBON NANOTUBES!!!
- (Pause.)
- Belle: And you SERIOUSLY took all my money?
- Feldspar: If by money you mean CARBON NANOTUBES!!!
- Belle: WILL YOU STOP SAYING CARBON NANOTUBES?!
- Feldspar: NO.
- (Blackout.)
- ted stevens died in a freak carbon nanotube accident
