Carbon tubes suffused with buckyfoam

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of "buckyfoam," a proposed material made from carbon tubes filled with connected buckyballs. Participants explore its potential applications, structural properties, and comparisons to natural materials like wood and bone, as well as its feasibility and production challenges.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that buckyfoam could mimic the structure of natural materials like wood, bone, or pumice, suggesting it retains strength and rigidity.
  • Others challenge this comparison, questioning the structural similarities and the definition of foam in this context.
  • A participant mentions that buckyfoam may be relatively easy to create due to the mass production of buckyballs.
  • There is speculation about the potential use of buckyfoam in futuristic constructions, such as the Tokyo pyramid city, and inquiries about its strength.
  • Concerns are raised about the cost and practicality of using buckyfoam, particularly regarding its size and effectiveness in applications like acoustic damping.
  • One participant expresses skepticism about the advantages of buckyfoam, suggesting that any benefits might be subtle or related to electrical properties.
  • Another participant notes the challenges in isolating carbon 60 and suggests using a spectrum of buckyballs for mass production.
  • There is a mention of a potential patent for buckyfoam, along with a discussion about the historical context of buckyball production and its future applications in technology.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the feasibility and advantages of buckyfoam, with no consensus reached on its effectiveness or practical applications. Some support the concept while others raise significant doubts and questions.

Contextual Notes

Discussions include uncertainties about the structural properties of buckyfoam compared to natural materials, the economic viability of its production, and the specific applications where it might be beneficial. The conversation reflects varying levels of understanding and assumptions about material science and engineering principles.

Loren Booda
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Imagine a tube or sandwiched wall of carbon, with width W. Now fill its interior with connected buckyballs of random diameters d up to d~(Wrbuckminsterfullerene)1/2. This artificial organic structure mimics that of natural wood, bone or pumice. It retains maximum strength and rigidity with relative ease of construction (utilizing random buckyballs).

This "buckyfoam" could eventually be applied where most rigid foams and many solid forms are now used, with increase in strength/mass by over tenfold. For instance, the I-beam or other superstructures might be replaced by carbon tubes suffused with buckyfoam.
 
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I can't see how this mimics either wood, bone, or pumice, since all three have quite different structures. Do you mean lots of litle cavities? And "relative ease of construction" isn't saying much.
 
Random orders of buckyballs may compose a foam-like structure (buckyfoam), one that may be relatively easy to create (as buckeyballs are now "mass-produced" with arbitrary molecular weight) and has properties far superior to ordinary rigid foam.
 
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Is this what they are thinking of making the Tokyo pyramid city out of, if it ever gets built? I remember it saying something about nanotubes, but there was more to it than that. So maybe it was this buckyfoam? How strong would it be?
 
Buckyfoam is my own "invention."
 


Originally posted by Loren Booda
Imagine a tube or sandwiched wall of carbon, with width W. Now fill its interior with connected buckyballs of random diameters d up to d~(Wrbuckminsterfullerene)1/2. This artificial organic structure mimics that of natural wood, bone or pumice. It retains maximum strength and rigidity with relative ease of construction (utilizing random buckyballs).

This "buckyfoam" could eventually be applied where most rigid foams and many solid forms are now used, with increase in strength/mass by over tenfold. For instance, the I-beam or other superstructures might be replaced by carbon tubes suffused with buckyfoam.

I think of foam as being by definition a surface effect phenomena rather than completely enclosed. I can't even begin to imagine any advantages to such a creation. As usual Booda, you ask the deep questions. Is it a surface or an enclosure? How do you distinguish between the two? If it does have any advantages I suspect they are more along the lines of electrical or some subtle mechanical effect no one has detected yet. :0)
 
wuliheron-

"Rigid" foam's acoustic properties arise from its isotropic energy dissipation. (Your "stereo" speakers may well have foam rubber enclosed within.) In a structure like a tube (I offered a carbon, i. e. graphite, one as an example), stresses are redirected by randomly massed and situated bucky balls. Since carbon 60 is difficult to isolate, I thought to utilize a spectrum of buckminsterfullerenes (typically carbon 60) for mass production of buckyfoam.
 
Its expensive stuff no matter how you make it, and the sizes are so small it seems pointless. Anything small enough to utilize their shock absorbing ability would not need it. Something bigger like a speaker, wouldn't notice the difference. The waves moving through the speaker would be magnetudes larger than the foam and the carbon nanotubes themselves would be magnetudes stronger than you would need for a speaker. I don't know what the smallest size accustic wave is, but it seems it must be larger than a bucky ball.
 
Greetings !
Originally posted by Loren Booda
Buckyfoam is my own "invention."
Well, I find it a bit difficult to see how
this will work, but hell - what do I know ?
Anyway, what do you mean - did you apply for
a patent or what ?
Also, I think there was this process invented
in the beginning of the 90s, after these molecule
types were enitialy discovered, that greatly
reduced their costs of production, but I believe
it's still not that simple for mass scale.

btw, C60 molecules could have an exciting future
as fuel for future generations of electric
ion propulsion thrusters (used in space :wink:).

Live long and prosper.
 

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