• ComradeSalad@lemmygrad.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    edit-2
    3 months ago

    Those things are still all possible, and carbon nanotubes have already changed the world with their applications on a macro scale.

    The point I was making is more that they are still in their infancy as a technological innovation and product, and it might need years if not decades more to be widely adopted into widespread use and be world changing for individual people.

    • multitotal@lemmygrad.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      3 months ago

      carbon nanotubes have already changed the world with their applications on a macro scale.

      I’m not disagreeing or disparaging what you say, but I’d love to hear some examples.

      • ComradeSalad@lemmygrad.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        3 months ago

        Their conductive properties and light weight makes them perfect for use in large scale battery components.

        They have revolutionized polymer composites, as nanotubes bond very well to epoxy and create a material significantly stronger other current composite materials. The listed current applications for this are wind turbines, marine paints on ships, professional sports equipment such as skis, hockey skates, arrows, etc.

        Vantablack is made from nanotubes.

        I had to look this up, but apparently they are used in atomic force microscopes and have allowed us to discover tens of thousands of microbiological species that were undetected before along with revolutionized microbiological studies.

        It’s a significantly lighter lightweight adhesive compared to glue and other tapes. Since the tape also uses Van der Waals forces, there are no chemical adhesives needed.

        This is a limited list of course, but there are many further niches uses in various fields of research.

        • multitotal@lemmygrad.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          3 months ago

          wind turbines,

          Wind turbines are bad: they kill birds, the sounds mess with marine animals, and there’s no way to recycle the blades so they have to be buried underground.

          marine paints on ships, professional sports equipment such as skis, hockey skates, arrows, etc.

          These things existed before nanotubes, marginal improvement isn’t world-changing.

          Vantablack

          Rich people stuff.

          there are many further niches uses

          But that’s it: niche uses that don’t really affect people’s lives, so carbon nanotubes haven’t changed the world on a macro scale. We’re just not there yet as a society/species and we won’t be as long as there are hungry and homeless people on this planet.

          • cayde6ml@lemmygrad.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            3 months ago

            Wind turbines are remarkable as wind power though, and the fossil fuel industry exaggerates the still unfortunate number of birds killed by them.

              • cayde6ml@lemmygrad.ml
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                0
                ·
                3 months ago

                China is a big advocate of wind power.

                Relying on any one method though is stupid, a combination is needed.

                • multitotal@lemmygrad.ml
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  0
                  ·
                  3 months ago

                  China is a big advocate of wind power.

                  So? So is the US, Scotland, Denmark… what does that have to do with wind turbines being bad for the environment, impossible to recycle and less efficient than the alternative (nuclear)?

              • ComradeSalad@lemmygrad.ml
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                0
                ·
                3 months ago

                I guess China is installing so many wind turbines because they’re filthy capitalists, right?

                What “fossil fuel” interests does China have to be the leader in installing wind turbines?

                • multitotal@lemmygrad.ml
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  0
                  ·
                  3 months ago

                  What kind of argument is that? lmao. The US is also installing wind turbines, they are based communists!

                  I could be wrong about fossil fuel industry supporting wind turbines, but you can’t make the argument that just because China does something that means that thing is automatically good.

                  The WEF is all gung-ho for wind power: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/05/greenertower-greener-steel-wind-power/

                  I guess the WEF is a bunch of communists and we should do everything they say.

                  Wind turbines are dumb and worse than nuclear power, I don’t care if Lenin himself rises from the dead and says wind power is the most communist thing ever.

                  • ComradeSalad@lemmygrad.ml
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    0
                    ·
                    edit-2
                    3 months ago

                    China has triple the total wind power that the US does. The US added 18 GW of total capacity last year, and China added 72 GW.

                    Womp womp. Guess China is acquiescing to the whims of capital by making wind it’s third most plentiful source of energy generation.

                    What kind of argument is that? The WEF says some random piece of technology is good so it’s automatically evil? Really?