Nanofibers could be
taking over many military defense applications and military airplanes. Researchers at the University of Texas found
out when they twisted nanofibers just like you would twist wires together the
material becomes 10 times stronger than a hydrogen bond, which is considered
the strongest bond between molecules. Dr. Minary says that his new twisted nanofibers
can stretch up to seven times its original length and can be stronger than
Kevlar (Kevlar is used for bulletproof vests). Researchers tested the coils and
yarn to see the max it could stretch and how much energy the material can
absorb before failure. Dr. Minary says, “Our experiment is proof of the concept that our
structures can absorb more energy before failure than the materials
conventionally used in bulletproof armors," Minary said. "We believe,
modeled after the human bone, that this flexibility and strength comes from the
electricity that occurs when these nanofibers are twisted.” The issue Dr.
Minary is dealing with right now is, figuring out how to make this material
into a larger structure out of the yarn and coils and not just a small sample.
The next step like Dr. Minary said is to put this into
larger structures and make equipment especially for military and defense
applications. This material Dr. Minary said can be used into military airplanes
because of the lightweight and flexibility it has and also the durability and
strength. They want this nanofiber material to mimic collagen fibers, like the
fibers found in our bones in hopes to creating a high performance material that
can self repair itself to a certain extent.
This new nanofibers development can be a huge impact in the
military world. The possibility of having a material so strong and reliable
will bring comfort to our troops or even policemen, knowing they’re safer in
dangerous scenarios. Also having such material will bring comfort back home for
the family’s that have loved ones with dangerous jobs. The impact the material
will have tremendous affect on how much we will trust the equipment because of
how strong and flexible it has shown when tested. This will all happen if the
development is ever put to full scale.
It affects our field and the people apart of it because we
have a great invention but have not found a way to make it useable in a larger
scale. With the nanofibers in a larger material these hopes of using twisted
nanofibers will become very useful for military and defense applications. If
the material transfers all its quality’s when put into a larger scale it will
thrive in many ways because of the many enhancements it will provide to every
day life. The main issue this material has is that it hasn’t been put into a
large scale and could have more issues trying to do so.
Cites:
This is amazing stuff. I looked up the links provided, but they didn't tell what the material is made of. All I got from it was that it was made from twisted nano fibers. Nanotechnology research is ongoing, and eventually they will specify what materials they are working with. For now, it's probably kept under wraps for proprietary reasons.
ReplyDeleteThe results are impressive. If they are able to make materials from this, it would offer the aerospace industry lightweight and very strong materials. Technology advances creep into all sorts of every day products, and society as a result will benefit from the developments of this. The article points out that this stuff is even stronger than Kevlar. If it can be made into longer strands, law enforcement and military applications would benefit. Depending on the chemical structure, there would probably be huge medical applications for this stuff as well. The possibilities are nearly boundless. This was a really informative article!
I never fail to be impressed by the technology that presents itself to our society. Before reading this article, I had never heard of nanofibers; however, after looking over this review and looking at the links provided, I believe that this new innovative step in technology could really benefit the public. As a mechanical engineering major, I see many people in my field searching for better materials to design things with and I think this would be a great material to add to the plethora of options.
ReplyDeleteThe only questions left unexplained is what a nanofiber actually is and how long the research process will take until it is noted how to take nanofibers to a larger scale. When discussing new emerging technologies to the public, there should be more in depth explanations. Other than that, this is a great article and I like teh way you utilized the research that you used.
Thank you for the great article! I hope that nanotechnology keeps improving and that we can incorporate these nano fibers into our military and even to keep going and incorporate them into everyday life. We could make commercial airlines safer and we could possibly use it in cars too. All in all, an awesome article.
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