Nanotube
'sponge' has potential in oil spill cleanup
OAK RIDGE,
Tenn., May 10, 2012 — A carbon nanotube sponge that can soak up oil in water
with unparalleled efficiency has been developed with help from computational
simulations performed at the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National
Laboratory.
Carbon
nanotubes, which consist of atom-thick sheets of carbon rolled into cylinders,
have captured scientific attention in recent decades because of their high
strength, potential high conductivity and light weight. But producing nanotubes
in bulk for specialized applications was often limited by difficulties in
controlling the growth process as well as dispersing and sorting the produced
nanotubes.
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