Carbon tubes suffused with buckyfoam

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The discussion centers on the concept of "buckyfoam," a material made from carbon tubes filled with randomly sized buckyballs, which aims to mimic the structural properties of natural materials like wood and bone. This innovative structure is proposed to significantly enhance strength-to-weight ratios, potentially replacing traditional materials in construction, such as I-beams. However, participants express skepticism about the practical advantages of buckyfoam, questioning its acoustic properties and the feasibility of mass production. Concerns are raised regarding the cost and effectiveness of using buckyballs in larger applications, suggesting that the benefits may not be as substantial as claimed. Overall, while the idea is intriguing, its practical implementation and advantages remain uncertain.
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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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