Recent comments in /f/askscience

Jew-fro-Jon t1_j9txugy wrote

Reply to It seems like we havent heard anything about carbon nanotubes for almost a decade. is there anything exciting involving those these days? by mintysmellshowntell

Hey, physicist here who worked with CNT during graduate work about 8 years ago. CNT research is extremely saturated. Everything easy has been looked at, and it’s more on the industrial side now.

Last i looked, there are still a ton of issues with mass production, so that’s probably what industries are working on.

However, you won’t see the results until someone makes something patentable. Don’t hold your breath. Have 5-30 years to go before you hear more, + or - 30 years.

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OathOfFeanor t1_j9tuvrd wrote

Reply to comment by Osbios in It seems like we havent heard anything about carbon nanotubes for almost a decade. is there anything exciting involving those these days? by mintysmellshowntell

No, unfortunately the tensile strength gains are not that good.

But as you said it improves the concrete in other ways. Another significant benefit is that the carbon nanotubes reduce autogenous shrinkage of the concrete (basically shrinkage = cracking)

In some slabs people are already doing them without rebar depending on circumstances (subgrade, climate and frost line, expected usage and load, etc.), so this could extend that range just a bit as a middle ground. Someone who wants a concrete slab to hold a picnic table can get away with that, someone who wants a foundation for a building cannot.

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grizz281 t1_j9ttxoz wrote

Reply to comment by OathOfFeanor in It seems like we havent heard anything about carbon nanotubes for almost a decade. is there anything exciting involving those these days? by mintysmellshowntell

Do you think there will be a hurdle to clear with regard to safety around manufacture and demolition? Kind of like how we are with asbestos today, will there need to be specialized abatement procedures when it comes to taking down a carbon nanotubes reinforced concrete wall?

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