It seems that nanotubes have more uses than we originally thought. Or I thought anyway, as scientists have been testing their uses for a variety of different uses. One such use is power storage.
It seems that nanotubes can be made into little tiny springs that can be literally wound up like steel springs in traps or in clocks, except obviously much smaller. Enough of these can store as much power as an ordinary battery with the potential to store much more with more durability and a lot more reliability. Read here.
Again, the potential (pun intended) here is that we have batteries that never lose the power in them. As we know ordinary batteries just go flat over time even with no load. This power can be on tap for many years without concern and can be discharged in one big burst or slowly over a period of time depending on the rate required. Ideal for emergency systems that are stored for a long time before use such as emergency beacons and also for items that are infrequently used like lights in the loft. Add in the fact that they have no rigid storage requirements like temperature or humidity and you can see how handy that could be.
Now the only issue is that most of the items we have that require power require it in electrical form. This power is kinetic energy and would need to be converted via some way. We know how to do this easily enough but as usual there are losses involved. However there is undoubtedly ways to build the converter into the battery and convert the power to a usable format. Alternatively we could make some devices that could utilise the kinetic energy directly and not need electricity although that would be difficult to start with as we are electrically biased in our technology. There is one area where we store power at home which is not in electrical form as we will see later.
Then next step of course is to get the battery charged in situ. That would be good. Rechargeable batteries that charged off the mains and were on call when required when the mains was unavailable and in a form that does not use valuable metals or chemicals that are destined just to be thrown away. All normal batteries end up being thrown away at the end of their life, even rechargeable ones. That means more metals and chemicals that we can use for other things.
I wonder what other uses these could be put to? Well, the potential energy in the spring would be sufficient to fire a bullet. That would herald in a new era of government fear for unlike the mythical polymer gun these truly would be invisible to Xray and metal detectors. A simple tube with a trigger, a nanotube battery with the spring ready to send a nanotube bullet flying and no explosive means no container to hold the explosive gases so it need not be too bulky. A bit like a rubber band gun. Think of the trouble you have getting anything past airport security now. It will be nothing compared to what will need to be done to try, only try, to stop you getting anything on aboard. Plus the bullet will always be ready, again no storage requirement like ordinary bullets and no big noise either.
Isn’t technology wonderful.
The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it. — Norman Schwarzkopf
More uses for Nanotubes. Covert guns
It seems that nanotubes have more uses than we originally thought. Or I thought anyway, as scientists have been testing their uses for a variety of different uses. One such use is power storage.
It seems that nanotubes can be made into little tiny springs that can be literally wound up like steel springs in traps or in clocks, except obviously much smaller. Enough of these can store as much power as an ordinary battery with the potential to store much more with more durability and a lot more reliability. Read here.
Again, the potential (pun intended) here is that we have batteries that never lose the power in them. As we know ordinary batteries just go flat over time even with no load. This power can be on tap for many years without concern and can be discharged in one big burst or slowly over a period of time depending on the rate required. Ideal for emergency systems that are stored for a long time before use such as emergency beacons and also for items that are infrequently used like lights in the loft. Add in the fact that they have no rigid storage requirements like temperature or humidity and you can see how handy that could be.
Now the only issue is that most of the items we have that require power require it in electrical form. This power is kinetic energy and would need to be converted via some way. We know how to do this easily enough but as usual there are losses involved. However there is undoubtedly ways to build the converter into the battery and convert the power to a usable format. Alternatively we could make some devices that could utilise the kinetic energy directly and not need electricity although that would be difficult to start with as we are electrically biased in our technology. There is one area where we store power at home which is not in electrical form as we will see later.
Then next step of course is to get the battery charged in situ. That would be good. Rechargeable batteries that charged off the mains and were on call when required when the mains was unavailable and in a form that does not use valuable metals or chemicals that are destined just to be thrown away. All normal batteries end up being thrown away at the end of their life, even rechargeable ones. That means more metals and chemicals that we can use for other things.
I wonder what other uses these could be put to? Well, the potential energy in the spring would be sufficient to fire a bullet. That would herald in a new era of government fear for unlike the mythical polymer gun these truly would be invisible to Xray and metal detectors. A simple tube with a trigger, a nanotube battery with the spring ready to send a nanotube bullet flying and no explosive means no container to hold the explosive gases so it need not be too bulky. A bit like a rubber band gun. Think of the trouble you have getting anything past airport security now. It will be nothing compared to what will need to be done to try, only try, to stop you getting anything on aboard. Plus the bullet will always be ready, again no storage requirement like ordinary bullets and no big noise either.
Isn’t technology wonderful.