Research on Fibers can change Textiles World
The world’s first dedicated,pilot-scale research plant capable of producing aerospace grade carbon fibre,together with a comprehensive fibre and composite characterization facility.The facility offers aglobally significant,university based,industrial scale carbon fiberreseach capability which is unique to the world.
Buckypaper made of carbon nanotubes.It is a thin sheet.The nanotubes are approximately 50000 time thinner than a human hair.Originally it wasfabricated as a way tohandle carbon nano tubesbut it is alsobeing studied and developed intointo applications by several research.It owes it’s name to the buckminister fullerence,the 60 carbon fullerene(an allotrope of carbon with similar bonding that is sometimes referred to as “Buckyball” .Buckypaper is one tenth the weight yet potentially 500times stronger then steel when it’s sheet are staked to form a composite.It can disperse heat like brass or steel and it can conduct electricity like copper or silicon.It is envisioned as a revolutionary material for making light ,energy efficient aircraft and automobiles,more powerfull personal computers,improved Television screens and a host of other products. On the computer screen ,left,is a microscopic view of buckypaper.
This small-scale aircraft model demonstrates how buckypaper allows lightning’s electrical charge to flow around.
Buckypaper composite as strong as IM7 and it’s 35% lighter now is being made only in the laboratory ,but Florida state is in the early stages of spinning out a company to make commercial buckypaper.
By using the properties of buckpaper,the modernization of technical textiles will be possible.