Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors







Heifer International

Wikipedia Affiliate Button


Home > Press > Adding nanotubes makes ordinary materials absorb vibration

Abstract:
New composites could remove buzz from speakers, sting from golf clubs

Adding nanotubes makes ordinary materials absorb vibration

Troy, NY | Posted on February 08, 2006

A new study suggests that integrating nanotubes into traditional materials dramatically improves their ability to reduce vibration, especially at high temperatures. The findings could pave the way for a new class of materials with a multitude of applications, from high-performance parts for spacecraft and automobile engines, to golf clubs that don’t sting and stereo speakers that don’t buzz.

The materials, developed by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, are described in the Feb. 8 issue of the journal Nano Letters.

Rensselaer nanotube material
From left to right, an untreated sample of polymer material, the new nano-composite, and a scanning electron microscopy image showing the nanotubes dispersed in the polymer resin. Credit and Copyright © Rensselaer/Koratkar

Click on image for larger version.

Nanocomposites don’t suffer from the same weight and volume penalties as current polymeric damping materials, but the new findings point to another important advantage, according to Nikhil Koratkar, associate professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer and lead author of the paper. “Traditional damping polymers perform poorly at elevated temperatures,” he says. “Our new materials provide excellent damping at high temperatures, suggesting that these nanocomposites show great potential for a variety of applications in aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, automobiles, and even sensors for missile systems — basically any structure that is exposed to vibration.”

Though much of the research focus has been on improving the strength and stiffness of nanomaterials, Koratkar and his coworkers have directed their attention to another important property: damping, or the ability of a material to dissipate energy. They have found that dispersing nanotubes throughout traditional materials creates new composites with vastly improved damping capabilities. And they have also shown for the first time that these damping properties are enhanced as the temperature increases.

Carbon nanotubes are made from graphite-like carbon, where the atoms are arranged like a rolled-up tube of chicken wire. They have enticed researchers since their discovery in 1991, offering an impressive combination of high strength and low weight, but few commercial applications have resulted in the intervening years, according to Koratkar.

The new materials could be extremely useful for any kind of space application, because temperatures swing wildly from very hot in the day to very cold at night, Koratkar notes. And he expects to use them in the diaphragms of loud speakers to help improve sound quality by reducing the buzz associated with high bass levels.

The sporting goods market is also an especially promising outlet, particularly for golf clubs and tennis racquets. “Manufacturers want tennis racquets and golf club shafts to be light and stiff, but without the annoying sting that comes from a bad shot,” Koratkar says.

Pulickel Ajayan, the Henry Burlage Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer and a world-renowned expert in fabricating nanotube materials, collaborated with Koratkar on this project, and two other Rensselaer researchers were involved with the research: Jonghwan Suhr, a post-doctoral researcher in mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering; and Wei Zhang, a graduate student in aeronautical engineering.

In 2004, Koratkar received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award to fund the development of these new materials. Additional funding for this project was provided by the U.S. Army Research Office.

####

Nanotechnology at Rensselaer:
In September 2001, the National Science Foundation selected Rensselaer as one of the six original sites for a new Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC). As part of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, the program is housed within the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center and forms a partnership between Rensselaer, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The mission of Rensselaer’s Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures is to integrate research, education, and technology dissemination, and to serve as a national resource for fundamental knowledge in directed assembly of nanostructures. The five other original NSECs are located at Harvard University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Northwestern University, and Rice University.

About Rensselaer:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation’s oldest technological university. The university offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture, management, and the humanities and social sciences. Institute programs serve undergraduates, graduate students, and working professionals around the world. Rensselaer faculty are known for pre-eminence in research conducted in a wide range of fields, with particular emphasis in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, and the media arts and technology. The Institute is well known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic development.

For more information, please click here.

Contact:
Jason Gorss
Office of Communications
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
phone: 518-276-6098
fax: 518-276-6091
gorssj@rpi.edu
news.rpi.edu/

Copyright © Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

Products

Peratech designs the QTC Ultra Sensor - an ultra-sensitive touch sensor for domestic, commercial and industrial use: Pressure sensor so sensitive that it can be operated through glass or steel sheet May 13th, 2013

Industrial Nanotech Launches Nansulate(R) Vinyl Fresh: Clear Liquid Thermal Insulation and UV Protection Coating Rejuvenates Vinyl Siding on Homes April 18th, 2013

MouthWatchers Nano-Silver Tooth Brush Released for Sale April 12th, 2013

Lurederra nanotechnology offers hydrofugant products for all types of substrate March 21st, 2013

Possible Futures

Lifeboat publishes its first book: The Lifeboat Foundation has published its first book, "The Human Race to the Future: What Could Happen -- and What to Do" May 14th, 2013

UC Santa Barbara History Professor's Book Elucidates, Celebrates ‘Visioneers' May 14th, 2013

Conceptual Nanomedical Lipofuscin Removal Strategy April 29th, 2013

The Global Desalination Market 2013-2023 April 24th, 2013

Nanotubes/Buckyballs

UC Riverside scientists discovering new uses for tiny carbon nanotubes: Adding ionic liquid to nanotube films could build smaller gadgets, and create more cost effective 'Smart Windows' that darken in bright sun May 15th, 2013

Development know-how is made available to collaboration partners: Bayer MaterialScience brings nano projects to a close May 8th, 2013

Next-generation transistor outperforms other carbon-based designs May 7th, 2013

Ubiquitous engineered nanomaterials cause lung inflammation, study finds: Substances are used in everything from paint to sporting equipment May 6th, 2013

Materials

Advancements and developments of solid-state nanopores sensors May 16th, 2013

Physicists discover a new kind of friction: Friction in the nano-world May 16th, 2013

Squishy hydrogels may be the ticket for studying biological effects of nanoparticles May 15th, 2013

Pitt Chemists Demonstrate Nanoscale Alloys So Bright They Could Have Potential Medical Applications: “Think about a particle that will not only help researchers detect cancer sooner but be used to treat the tumor, too.” May 15th, 2013

Announcements

Aspen Aerogels Announces $22.5 Million Private Placement May 18th, 2013

NanoInk, Inc. Assets To Be Sold May 18th, 2013

NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013

Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect May 17th, 2013

Sports

UNL team's discovery yields supertough, strong nanofibers April 24th, 2013

Graphene Could Help Prevent Another Lance Armstrong January 15th, 2013

Nanoscale impulse radar measures depth of snow and ice December 18th, 2012

Research and Markets: The Global Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials Industry 2013 Report: Stage of Development, Global Activity and Market Opportunities December 16th, 2012

Aerospace/Space

Moth-Inspired Nanostructures Take the Color Out of Thin Films May 17th, 2013

Lifeboat publishes its first book: The Lifeboat Foundation has published its first book, "The Human Race to the Future: What Could Happen -- and What to Do" May 14th, 2013

UC Santa Barbara History Professor's Book Elucidates, Celebrates ‘Visioneers' May 14th, 2013

Over 20 Exhibitors To Present At International Space Development Conference May 13th, 2013

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE





  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoTech-Transfer
University Technology Transfer & Patents
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More












ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project








abbigliamento uomo
Computer Accessories
© Copyright 1999-2013 7th Wave, Inc. All Rights Reserved PRIVACY POLICY :: CONTACT US :: STATS :: SITE MAP :: ADVERTISE