Heard about this at least 2 years ago, and it was already put on a different car for "fun." And yes, carbon nanotubes are nasty, ultra-dangerous stuff.

If it's really Vantablack...No thanks..
Carbon nanotubes...
"These results suggest that carbon nanotubes are potentially toxic to humans and that strict industrial hygiene measures should to be taken to limit exposure during their manipulation."

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Respiratory-toxicity-of-multi-wall-carbon-Muller-Huaux/d045b356626d552c0d8d97b8d2117949e013ab40

I suspect this is a vanity armored car for vaguely disreputable sorts...lol

Okay first off, powdercoating is different. It's a powder that is closer to glass than paint, and it's cured in an oven which melts it onto the surface. Vantablack is grown on a surface and they recommend it is never used in an application where skin contact is involved as it would be unsafe. The sprayable paint version uses another form of carbon nanotubes in a different structure, which is considered "safer," but there's not enough data on it for me to trust it. They also make no mention of it being "sealed" as you claim.

You can if you want. Lead paint was once considered safe, as was asbestos, and aspartame, and cigarettes (at least publicly). Go for it. But we won't agree.

I really doubt this would be considered safe enough to put into something for consumer production like a cell phone. It's made of carbon nanotubes. Those get into the air, and it's very, very toxic to breathe. It is like needles stabbing and slicing through your cellular membranes. There are some real concerns about the long-term safety of CNT. I would feel very unsafe having to work with it every day.

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Don't get me wrong - I'm a big fan of the skyhook and space elevators - but this could be seen as pragmatic stop-gap that would actually work now. You could slingatron the carbon nanotube cable into orbit for the skyhook. ;-)

When he mashed his finger into that slab of microscopic needles, I was just imagining all the penetration going down... microscopically.

Yowsa.>> ^jubuttib:

"Scientists don't yet know if they're toxic."
... It's carbon. Scientists are quite well aware how toxic carbon is. It's abrasive qualities if inhaled and other such considerations are another thing though.

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I have to go upstairs Mr. McGwire. I'm not feeling very well.>> ^zombieater:

I have two words to say to you, just two words: carbon nanotubes.

I have two words to say to you, just two words: carbon nanotubes.

>> ^cosmovitelli:

Or, more likely, an army of obedient murderous cyborgs to send to other peoples countries!>> ^Fletch:
Hey, let's build a space elevator!


We already do that. Let's do something a little more enobling as a species. And we can start by hiring THIS guy!

Or, more likely, an army of obedient murderous cyborgs to send to other peoples countries!>> ^Fletch:

Hey, let's build a space elevator!

Neat stuff. Today I read an article that showed that carbon nanotubes behave the same way human (neuron) synapses do. The implications of that in 20-30 years is stupefying; for humans, computers, electronics (including artificial hands that would have feeling--but, you could tone down pain to a "notice" level and not the current, "holy ^%&king %^&$"" level), and possibly A.I. (like neural nets, but brains have around 10 billion neurons each with 10k or so synapses each; it'll take awhile...).

Brain reconstruction (obviously you'll be missing the old stuff, but still)?

So... carbon nanotubes are the ultimate ScotchGuard?

>> ^Drachen_Jager:

When they get a process going that can make carbon nanotubes at industrial volumes it will be as significant (if not more) than the development of steel. This is THE materials science breakthrough of our generation.
A 1 mm thick nanotube wire could hold 6,000 KG of weight. It is thirty times stronger than Kevlar and nearly a hundred times stronger than the finest steel.


This is without even bringing to light their electrical properties. They have a chirality induced band gap, so they can be either semiconductive or metallic based on structure. They are absurdly thermally and (in the case of metallic tubes) electrically conductive, due to ballistic conductivity. Electrical current densities are theorized to be more than 1000 times greater than copper. They truly are a miracle material. Biggest problem is the safety issues and cost of production.

A visual representation of his explanation of one being akin to the other.

http://vimeo.com/groups/3114/videos/8069853


>> ^EDD:

gnarly. you seem to know your carbon nanotubes, so care to explain how the potential projected practical applications of graphene stack up to them?