There's a small company with a carbon nanotube impregnated aluminum alloy (also some brass etc in there - google the patent if you want - Bourque Industries).
It exceeds Copper 11000 in thermal and electrical conductivity. Nice. Normally aluminum is about 59% of copper in thermal and electrical conductivity.
"The most popular form of pure copper is the standard electrical wire grade of copper (C11000) contains 99.95% Cu, 0.03% O2, and less than 50 ppm metallic impurities."
Kryron is also stopping bullets nicely in tests so far.
Maybe sometime in the near future carbon nanotubes plus a copper alloy will be able to cheaply double copper's performance.
Sources:
Info on Copper 11000 http://www.copper.org/resources/propert ... ppers.html.
Link to article about GE in Tucson testing this new "Kryron" alloy vs. Copper http://money.msn.com/business-news/arti ... d=13767743
New aluminum alloy better than pure copper
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NewtonPulsifer
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I wonder how that stuff compares to proposed graphene-metal composites, such as GRAPHENE NANOPLATELET METAL MATRIX.
From what little I've read, graphene has fewer environment/health worries than CNTs. Not as asbestos-like.
From what little I've read, graphene has fewer environment/health worries than CNTs. Not as asbestos-like.
Some actual numbers would be nice. I Googled but found no details. Is the electrical conductivity 1% better, 20% better, 90% better?
Of the presented information, the most impressive fact is that they are apparently actually producing end product items that requires successful graphine sheet incorporation into metal allows. In 2006 they were demonstrating bullet proof vest inserts that significantly out performed ceramics, at least from a survivability point of view. One plate resisted over 60 M16 bullet impacts. While it looked as bulky as the ceramic inserts it was claimed to be lighter.
Dan Tibbets
Of the presented information, the most impressive fact is that they are apparently actually producing end product items that requires successful graphine sheet incorporation into metal allows. In 2006 they were demonstrating bullet proof vest inserts that significantly out performed ceramics, at least from a survivability point of view. One plate resisted over 60 M16 bullet impacts. While it looked as bulky as the ceramic inserts it was claimed to be lighter.
Dan Tibbets
To error is human... and I'm very human.