Nanotech Hits the Roads
Roland Piquepaille writes "When you hear the word 'nanotechnology,' I bet you immediately think about nanochips or ultra-small medical devices. But do you know that nanotechnology is starting to be used in highways, bridges and other buildings? In "Small Science Will Bring Big Changes To Roads," a very long article from Better Roads Magazine, you'll discover that "research in structural polymers could lead the way to guardrails that heal themselves, or concrete or asphalt that heal their own cracking." Nanotechnology is also used to design better steel or concrete. And there are even nanosensors in place on the Golden Gate Bridge to monitor its behavior. The nanotechnology revolution is on its way, even if self-healing potholes and guardrails are still science fiction. This long article discusses nanotechnology advances in concrete and cement, self-cleaning traffic signs or better steel. This shorter overview contains selected excerpts about embedded nanosensors, self-healing pavements and smart dust."
August 5th, 2004 at 5:36 PM
Bulk Technology
This is all bulk technology – it's not true nanotech or MNT. It's not news worthy.
August 6th, 2004 at 7:36 AM
Really, now everything is nanotech!
> Both concrete and asphalt are nanomaterials
This is really getting out of hand. Before too long we shall be calling every material "nanostructured". After all, wood is composed of cellulose with nanoscale features, polyethylene has nanoscale packing irregularities (removing which produces an incredibly strong material), vulcanized rubber has nanoscale sulfur bridges that keep it together, silicone microprocessors have 130 nm features, optical data switches work with radiation of nanometer wavelength. Even cooking is nanotechnology, because it changes matter at the nanoscale by denaturing proteins (cooked meat), creating self-assembling nanoscale foams (whipped cream), aligning nanoscale gluten fibers into a flexible air-trapping material (kneading dough), using nanoscale carbon dioxide generators to add fine structure to this flexible air-trapping material (yeast rising), and finally, using thermal protein denaturation (baking) combined with an ingenious form-constraining technology (the bread pan), producing a nutritions nano-featured meal. If you have a lot of imagination, you can apply "nanotechnology" to pretty much anything, which in the end will mean absolutely nothing.
August 12th, 2004 at 2:20 PM
Why not Carbon Nanotubes?
What's surprising is that, even though carbon nanotubes are a major part of nanoscale bulk technology, they are not mentioned anywhere in the article as a possible material with which to construct bridges. Carbon nanotubes are much stronger than any steel, including the nanoparticle-reinforced steel mentioned in the article. Also, research is being done to find non-MNT methods to mass-produce carbon nanotubes.
August 13th, 2004 at 10:55 AM
Re:Why not Carbon Nanotubes?
EXCELLENT POINT! Bonded macroscopic assemblies of carbon nanotubes promise to make use of the strongest bond found in natural stable matter, the Carbon-Carbon bond. I also think that nanotechnology will enable us to have active materials, imagine diamondoid and fullerene composites that also incorporate motors and actuators and such in their lattice structures, so they can move and repair themselves, and more, according to pre programmed instructions.
August 16th, 2004 at 12:06 AM
Re:Why not Carbon Nanotubes?
cost and just cost…