[Adjutant Stormy~]

There's a very large difference between nanotubes and silica particles, some of which are important for toxicity purposes. Nanotubes are synthesized in fairly harsh conditions, and are usually not clean. Nanotubes are also highly conductive, and can interfere with charge transfer mechanisms in cells. Inhaling nanotubes is usually not anymore toxic than inhaling charcoal dust (since nanotubes are just a glorified carbon chain).

Silica (SiO2) can has a lot of molecular forms. The closest thing to nanotubes you get out of silica is silica helices. But their chemistry is very boring, and aside from being cool looking- they are fairly inert. The coolest thing about silica is that the oxygens are usually protonated, giving you OH groups. These groups do a lot of chemistry, though in this instance they act as alcohols. Except under very acidic or very basic conditions you would be hard pressed to react anything with them - which is why glasses such as these are so stain resistant. I wouldn't worry too much about adverse effects of silica on the body - you inhale silica dust every time you go to the beach, but there are no warning signs on them are there?

Silicosis comes from inhaling silica, where it mixes with the water in your lungs to form a crude cement (essentially just gets all of the particles adhere together semi-covalently), but you have to be breathing air saturated with it. Like post-volcanic eruption saturated. Silicosis makes you a sad panda.

[Sinisdar Toste]

Adjutant Stormy, on 03 February 2010 - 11:44 PM, said:

Silica (SiO2) can has a lot of molecular forms.

DAMN YOU LOLCATS!!!!

[Cold Iron]

I feel the need to post simply because this is the first thread I've read in fucken ages. I have nothing really to add except to say +rep to AS for sweet post.

Also thanks to apt for bring this cool shit to my attention.

Also hi everyone

[Adjutant Stormy~]

I try. Actually, it's kind of funny. The class I'm TA'ing for was JUST talking about this today during lecture.

[Soulessdreamer]

I wonder if coating bullets with this would be better than teflon in penertrating body armour. or wheather on blades it would prevent the blood suction effect meaning cleaner cuts and less sticking.
or Boat hull bottoms.

Anyone have any details about how this stuff affect the friction coefficent of the surfaces it coats?

TTFN

[Adjutant Stormy~]

Soulessdreamer, on 04 February 2010 - 11:04 AM, said:

I wonder if coating bullets with this would be better than teflon in penertrating body armour. or wheather on blades it would prevent the blood suction effect meaning cleaner cuts and less sticking.
or Boat hull bottoms.

Anyone have any details about how this stuff affect the friction coefficent of the surfaces it coats?

TTFN

On the molecular scale, I'm pretty sure this isn't a terribly smooth surface. Teflon is smooth because it is an extremely regular linear carbon-fluorine polymer. Silicon-oxygen structures are usually highly irregular and branched.

This post has been edited by Adjutant Stormy: 05 February 2010 - 08:12 PM

[alt146]

It would be really cool if they could invent a low-friction equivalent of this product, you could make so much stuff more energy efficient.

[Adjutant Stormy~]

You mean magic?

[Soulessdreamer]

oh you mean the old fictionless floor spell

TTFN

[rhulad]

It's not magic:crybaby:? Thanks for ruining my views of all technology...

But seriously this could be some handy stuff.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

"At high levels technology and magic blah blah wank wank blah."

-Artheu C Clarke

[Fist Gamet]

Oh come on, RLY, you know that magic and tech eventually become indistinguishable...

[Sir Thursday]

Silicosis? Come on, take the time to use one of the longer pieces of medical jargon around: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicavolcanocorneosis. As far as I know, it means the same thing, but it's an awful lot more awesome .


Seriously though, this stuff sounds very useful (assuming minimal risk of pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicavolcanocorneosis, of course). I suspect that some of the practical applications are being hyped up slightly in that article, but nevertheless, if half of that comes fruition, the world will be a better place. Need to do a little research, methinks.


Sir Thursday

[D'rek]

Sir Thursday, on 22 February 2010 - 01:33 AM, said:

Silicosis? Come on, take the time to use one of the longer pieces of medical jargon around: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicavolcanocorneosis. As far as I know, it means the same thing, but it's an awful lot more awesome .


Seriously though, this stuff sounds very useful (assuming minimal risk of pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicavolcanocorneosis, of course). I suspect that some of the practical applications are being hyped up slightly in that article, but nevertheless, if half of that comes fruition, the world will be a better place. Need to do a little research, methinks.


Sir Thursday

That's only if the silicon you're inhaling is from volcanic ash/spewage...

[Adjutant Stormy~]

Zing!