New super-strong aerogels made of carbon nanotubes that could be key to cleaning up oil spills

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have created low-density, super-strong aerogels made of carbon nanotubes that could be key to cleaning up oil spills. The new material is lighter than air but can absorb 900 times its own weight. It combines the strength and ultra-light, heat-insulating properties of aerogels with the electrical conductivity of nanotubes.

he new material is lighter than air but can absorb 900 times its own weight. It combines the strength and ultra-light, heat-insulating properties of aerogels with the electrical conductivity of nanotubes. Read the rest of New Ultra-Light Nanotube Aerogels Could Clean Up Oil Spills Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: carbon nanotubes , fire-resistant materials , fireproof material , frozen smoke , frozen smoke aerogels , green materials , high-tech materials , nanotechnology , nanotube aerogels , nanotubes , NASA aerogels , oil spills , polymer aerogels , silica aerogels , ultra-light carbon aerogel , University of Pennsylvania aerogels , University of Pennsylvania research.

The new so-called “multiwalled carbon nanotube (MCNT) aerogel” could be used in sensors to detect pollutants and toxic substances, chemical reactors, and electronics components. A report about the material appears in ACS Nano.
Lei Zhai and colleagues explain that aerogels made from silicon dioxide (the main ingredient in sand) and other material already are used as thermal insulation in windows and buildings, tennis rackets, sponges to clean up oil spills, and other products.
Aerogels are solid but so light that they have been compared to frozen smoke. However, only a few scientists have succeeded in making aerogels from carbon nanotubes, wisps of carbon so small that almost 50,000 would fit across the width of a human hair.
The report describes a process for making MCNT aerogels and tests to determine their properties. MCNT aerogels infused with a plastic material are flexible, for instance, like a spring that can be stretched thousands of times. If the nanotubes in a one-ounce cube were unraveled and placed side-to-side and end-to-end, they would carpet three football fields.
The MCNT aerogels also are excellent conductors of electricity, making them ideal for sensing applications, such as sensing as little as 0.003527 ounce of a material resting in the palm of one hand, the report indicates.