Microcups Made of Nanopaper

Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers at the University of Arkansas have created long nanowires with titanium dioxide and assembled them into pieces of 'nanopaper.' This flexible paper can fold into 3D nanostructures such as tubes, bowls or cups. This kind of nanopaper could soon be used for applications such as bacteria filters, decomposition of pollutants and chemical warfare agents. But first the University needs to find industrial partners. Read more for additional details and some pictures of these microcups."

Bad

[neuroPuff]

Titanium dioxide, nanowires, nanopapers... just the stolen ingredients from my racoon sex doll.

Re:Bad

[soupforare]

Mom?

microcups?

[Mahou]

since when is something that's bigger than a penny considered micro? i understand calling the paper nanopaper, because it's made out of nanofibers, but what's with the term 'microcup'?

Re:microcups?

[embeddedbennie]

I agree. It should be called a "decicup", as it's no more than 10 times smaller than a normal cup...

Re:microcups?

[Tenser234]

Yet, you are using a olde termed "Micro-Computer" to write that very message. Say what?

Re:microcups?

[jasonwea]

Just when I thought they weren't going to make those tiny paper cups you get at water dispensers any smaller.. *sigh*

You better sit down

[I Like Pudding]

Now, this may come as a shock to you, but the iPod Nano is not actually NOT 1e10^-9 times the size of a regular iPod...and nobody gives a damn.

Re:You better sit down

[gkhan1]

Either write 1*10^-9 or write 1e-9, you look like a dilettante if you mix scientific and exponential notation.

Re:You better sit down

[I Like Pudding]

Psh. Obviously you've never heard of scienceponential notatification.

Re:You better sit down

[gkhan1]

Ofcourse I have! I heard about it 5e10^-1 years ago!

Re:microcups?

[Frozen Void]

What about microscopes?

Re:microcups?

[mjmalone]

I agree, micro means "too small to be seen with the naked eye." These should be called "really little macrocups," or something similar. I was very disappointed when I saw the pictures. Unless, of course, that is a micropenny that the cups are next to in the photos.

Re:microcups?

[Nefarious Wheel]

How about calling them "small cups"?

Oh, where's my Strunk and White? I want to use it as a projectile.

Re:microcups?

[nacturation]

Yeah, looks like they're made out of papier mache. And I only made like infinity of those in scout camp last summer.
 

Re:microcups?

[supachupa]

That's because they named it after the apperatus that protects YOUR groin. Hey, don't feel bad. They named the femtocup after me. :(

Re:microcups?

[Duhavid]

Because that is her cup size?

Finaly!

[pesho]

Finaly there will be a drink at Starbucks that I can afford. One grande ..uh,uh, Nano Latte please.

Re:Finaly!

[moro_666]

If you'd visit airports more often, you'd recognize
the thing on the pictures in tfa is the standard for
airports, and you can get it at only 5$ (unlyess you're
in tokyo where it's slightly more expensive).

Isn't life just great^H^H^H^H^H nano ?

Re:Finaly!

[RsG]

Hey, if they could concentrate it enough, I'd get my caffine fix from a shot glass :-P

Why do you need all that boiling water and bitter bean based colouring anyway? The important stuff is the caffine, or as I like to think of it, the "wake up kick to the head".

Re:

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Re:Finaly!

[RsG]

Because the last time I did that, I got some very strage looks from the other people in the washroom.

Re:Finaly!

[gkhan1]

Wouldn't injecting pure caffeine directly in the bloodstream work better?

Re:Finaly!

[RsG]

Drat! There's blood in my caffine system!

Re:

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Re:Finaly!

[Menkhaf]

If you don't like the bitter base, you should definately stay away from pure caffeine.. I, uhh, got my hands on some not long ago, and let me tell you mister, that stuff sure is bitter... It'll keep you awake though, so coping with the bitter taste is not hard..

Re:Finaly!

[Nefarious Wheel]

You can... just order a "short black macchiato" here in Melbourne, where Starbucks franchisees go away ashamed and muttering at their shoes. One shot glass worth of very strong, aromatic coffee. Palate to brain in 3 seconds. We mean espresso.

Still waiting

[Umbral Blot]

I'm still holding out for paper that can compute (probably by using rod logic [zyvex.com]) and then display the results on its surface. A little external memory interface and I can reduce my bookshelf to a harddrive and an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper.

Re:Still waiting

[dotoole]

Cool. Where do you plug in the handcrank for when the power goes out?

Re:Still waiting

[Umbral Blot]

I suppose you have never heard of batteries before?

Why

[Belial6]

If you have something the size of a hard drive, why does the computing have to be done in the paper. You have that huge box to do the computing in. Of course what you really want is the paper to have a tranciever, and a sensor so that you can tell it when to change the display, even if the computing is done over on the bookshelf.

Re:Why

[Umbral Blot]

Have you ever tried to read long articles on a computer screen? It's nearly impossible.

Re:Why

[jasonwea]

I know what you [ADVERT] mean. Reading articles of [Next Page]
[ADVERT] any considerable length online [ADVERT] is quite a challenge [Next Page]
indeed!

Re:Why

[Umbral Blot]

I was thinking more of long PDFs and eye-strain, but yeah ads are a problem too.

Re:Why

[JDevers]

I've read novels on my PDA, and I don't mean one time to prove a point, more like 50-70 novels total. Of course a PDA screen isn't a PC screen, but it isn't that much different than a decent laptop screen.

The display...

[Belial6]

Who said anything about a "computer screen"? We were talking about a display that was the dimensions of a sheet of paper.

Great

[Donut2099]

Now all they need is a nano-dispenser because those teeny-tiny dixie cups at the watercooler just arent small enough.

Cup sizes?

[I kan Spl]

I thought a microcup is what your girlfriend has...

Re:Cup sizes?

[dotgain]

I thought it was just small-talk around the milli-water cooler

Re:Cup sizes?

[NanoGator]

"I thought a microcup is what your girlfriend has..."

Everybody who's gettin some tonight, raise your hand! O/

How many of you learned a lesson about making fun of girlfriends around here?

Re:Cup sizes?

[SamSim]

Girlfriend? Sir, you presume too much.

"and chemical warfare agents"

[mrjb]

I'll probably get modded -1, hippy for this but I've noticed that every time a great invention is made in the US, it is considered important that it can *also* be used for war. Whereas if something is invented in Europe, it's more in the lines of "it will help the environment and/or developing countries". What's up with the war fixation people?

Re:"and chemical warfare agents"

[ZeroExistenZ]

What's up with the war fixation people? [in America]

One word: overcompensation.

Re:"and chemical warfare agents"

[Mahou]

that's the craziest spelling of 'budget' i've ever seen

"Decomposition of ... chemical warfare agents"

[patio11]

... is *not a war use*. Its an environment improving use which happens to have some security implications, mostly for terrorism. It incidentally helps out developing countries more than it does the US, since we see have a strong national defense, no ongoing wars with nation-states, and a fairly good defense against terrorists, and developing nations are frequently 0 for 3.

Exercise for reader

[leehwtsohg]

1. List the number of times chemical warfare agents have been employed. Classify as to whether the agents have been used by a government or by a terrorist organisation. In each case list the number of humans killed, injured, and the total amount of environmental damage done.
2. Using the results in 1. calculate the probability that conditional on a chemical agent being used, it was used by terrorists.

Bonus points: list usage by country, and calculate conditional probability as in 2, for different countries.

Re:Exercise for reader

[Matt Edd]

Homework on /.!? Homework on monday!? Ug. I'll just wait and copy off of someone else.

Re:Exercise for reader

[BasilBrush]

Pah! Screw showing the workings out. It's the US government that have made the most use of chemical weapons in the world. Correct?

Re:"Decomposition of ... chemical warfare agents"

[Yvanhoe]

Yeah terrorism is the other strange fixation...

Re:"and chemical warfare agents"

[Frogbert]

Yeah its kinda freaky. Like Americans students reciting the pledge of allegance every morning. Seriously what's up with that? and people don't even realise why people from other countries find that a little strange/scary.

Re:

[account_deleted]

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Re:

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Re:"and chemical warfare agents"

[kabocox]

Like Americans students reciting the pledge of allegance every morning. Seriously what's up with that? and people don't even realise why people from other countries find that a little strange/scary.

If you really want the low down on that pledge of allegance crap, I'll let you in on it. It's a hold over when Eastern Europe was sending alot of people over here to be our brand new citizens. Ever wonder why the US is so hung up on English? Its sort of a related issue. Back then there wasn't any equal opp. laws

Re:"and chemical warfare agents"

[EyeMyke]

The first job of the US government (and any government) is to protect the people. As such, any device that could be used for such should point it out. I do agree we need more of an emphasis on the environment, but for things like this, an application to warfare survival or that of airborne disease is perfectly acceptable, imo.

Re:"and chemical warfare agents"

[Marshall B.]

Yes, well, the US government is about as powerful as a Ford Pinto, as all we have in this country is financial power. Military is all the government has exclusive to it, so it's important to them that everything be doing something for their military.

NOT for warfare, just a misunderstood sentence...

[Hamster Lover]

From TFA: University of Arkansas researchers have created assemblies of nanowires that show potential in applications such as armor, flame-retardant fabric, bacteria filters, oil cracking, controlled drug release, decomposition of pollutants and chemical warfare agents.

The usefulness of the material extends to the decomposition of chemical agents, not their creation. The sentence could be a little clearer.

Re:NOT for warfare, just a misunderstood sentence.

[Strashno]

From TFA: University of Arkansas researchers have created assemblies of nanowires that show potential in applications such as armor, flame-retardant fabric, bacteria filters, oil cracking, controlled drug release, decomposition of pollutants and chemical warfare agents.

Unfortunately, according to the AP style rules (which any public release that someone is getting paid to produce should be following), "the decomposition of pollutants and chemical warfare agents" would be two seperate items. Even if you

Re:"and chemical warfare agents"

[kahei]

In order to finance such research as this, one must have something known as a 'large sum of money'.

Although there are many sources of these, the easiest one to use is known as the 'taxpayer'.

Most LSofM extracted from taxpayers goes to pensions, health, farm subsidies, bailing out airlines, making 'Mission Accomplished' banners, social welfare, corporate welfare, and defence.

Only one of the above needs high technology.

Luckily, any technology, no matter how useless, will usually find some interest somewhere i

Re:"and chemical warfare agents"

[Invidious]

Have you ever looked at our budget? If a researcher can find a possible use that's related to war in any way, well, that's a chance to get more funding.

Re:"and chemical warfare agents"

[kabocox]

What's up with the war fixation people?

Shh, the not very big secret is that he US DOD spends major research funding on alots of things "war related." Just because its being billed as a chemical warfare agent removal system doesn't mean that the profressor or university working on it doesn't also see the usage for just environmental clean up. There just isn't a big US agency finacing research into environmental clean up. There is one paying for tech related to clean up the messes of war. The US professors ar

At last, safe sex

[svunt]

Finally, with titanium of this thickness, a condom that can handle my workload is possible.

Re:At last, safe sex

[tor528]

Finally, with titanium of this thickness, a condom that can handle my workload is possible.

looks like you forgot to hit the 'Log Out' button.

Re:At last, safe sex

[iknowcss]

Don't you mean, "finally they can make me a condom that's my size!" Just kiddin'

Re:At last, cheap sex

[bar-agent]

"Theoretically it can work, but is sick and ill advised" [bash.org]

Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[ZeroExistenZ]

I can't wait to wipe my ass with titanium nano-fibers!

This is a real concern actually, the western world is wiping their asses with the rainforrests.
Perhaps this softof "paper" will prove to be a plausable alternative? I really hope so...

Re:Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[TheChef321]

Forget wiping my ass with titanium nano-fibers, I'm waiting for nanopaper to have nanomachines so the TP will wipe my own ass for me.

Re:Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[Pesh Hawksfire]

Yea, what we want is to make throw-away products from non-renewable resources instead of the renewable ones we already have. Worst. Environmentalist. Ever.

Re:Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[Nicolay77]

Titanium itself in pure, metallic form is very expensive, and is toxic to manufacture, agreed.

But this paper is made of nanowires of titanium dioxide. Titanium is found in nature in the form of rutile. The rutile mineral mainly consists of titanium dioxide, and it's the third most abundant mineral in earth, after iron and aluminium in their natural form.

I believe we can safely consider titanium dioxide (as opposed to pure titanium), as an almost unlimited resource, more abundant than forests and any form of

Re:Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[Nicolay77]

Ha! I just found you even wash your teeth with Titanium dioxide!

Well, not really, toothpaste has more ingredients. But Titanium dioxide is used as the white pigment of choice in paints, paper and toothpaste. And in sunscreen it's used to protect your skin.

Re:Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[odourpreventer]

the western world is wiping their asses with the rainforrests

Do you have anything to support this claim? At least in Europe, all (or nearly all) TP is made from recycled paper. Stiff paper is long-fibered, soft paper is short-fibered; fresh paper mass is long-fibered, recycled paper mass is short-fibered. It just makes economic sense.

Re:Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[ZeroExistenZ]

WWF [panda.org] has an article about it. I picked it up somewhere else though...

To be honest I always thought you had the more sturdy greyish TP to be recycle and "economical", but they are alot more expensive.

Regular TP packaging -here in Belgium- rarely states it's manufactured out of recycled paper, only that its packaging is recyclable...
I don't manufacture TP myself, so I honestly wouldn't be able to say for certain. But I couldn't find a statement on the internet of someone who actually does.

Re:Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[dosquatch]

I can't wait to wipe my ass with titanium nano-fibers!

Would that fall under "pollutant" or "chemical warfare agent"?

Re:Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[Nefarious Wheel]

We should have had an obligatory Bender quote long before this.

Re:Soft and absorbing? Titanium TP!

[pyrrhonist]

I can't wait to wipe my ass with titanium nano-fibers! Perhaps this softof "paper" will prove to be a plausable alternative? I really hope so...

Apparently you don't know how to use the Three Seashells (tm).

Other potential applications:

[RoffleTheWaffle]

Microscopic origami exhibits. World's tiniest paper crane!

If that sounds as stupid to you as it does to me, you're just missing the bigger picture.

Not really

[BlackCobra43]

I'm missing the really, really small picture.

Roland P

[Ohreally_factor]

Roland, Roland, Roland,
Keep those page hits rolling
Advertising's flowing
Slashdot!

(sung to the tune of Rawhide)

Re:Roland P

[grammar fascist]

I had a story posted on Slashdot's front page yesterday which drove a grand total of 40 visitors to my blog. Page hits galore, I tell you. Why, all that traffic nearly slashdotted Blogger! If I had had Adsense going, that would have been what, four cents? For fifteen minutes of work?

Submit a good story or three yourself if you disapprove of Roland getting onto the front page all the time.

Re:Roland P

[kestasjk]

It's for the Google points, not for direct referals.

Re:Roland P

[dragonman97]

For what it's worth, the link to Roland's site is done with rel=nofollow, so it /shouldn't/ improve his PageRank.

However, recent discussions elsewhere have suggested that Google is starting to follow the links anyway, but give them almost no weight unless they appear to have merit.

Re:Roland P

[fonky]

you forgot a paragraph:

Don't try to understand 'im
Just rope, throw, and brand 'im
Soon we'll be living high and wide.

What a waste

[i_like_spam]

It takes a thousand sheets of nanopaper to make only one microcup.

What a waste of paper.

Pfttpbpttbtbtbbt

[NanoGator]

At first I thought having the word 'Nano' in my nick sounded cool and high tech, but now that they're attaching it to words like 'cups' I'm having second thoughts.

Re:Pfttpbpttbtbtbbt

[odourpreventer]

If you think that now, just wait until they release NanoGatorade!

Re:Pfttpbpttbtbtbbt

[RajivSLK]

At first I thought having the word 'Nano' in my nick sounded cool and high tech

Wow, you are really cool. You can have a job at my company, CompuGlobalHyperMegaNet. We can synergise together.

Re:Pfttpbpttbtbtbbt

[Bastard of Subhumani]

Is nanotech 2.0 out yet?

Another innovation...

[Marshall B.]

...another peice to the grand goal of widespread nanomachine usage. As a supporter in the continued advancement of all reasonably sane technology I find this to be a good thing.

Coming soon... Wondermicrocup(tm)

[Eyeball97]

With added padding for those who feel inadequate with a microcup...

Nano/micro

[kahei]

So, wait, nanowires join together to make nanopaper which in turn is made into microcups. What the heck's going on? How do you make nanocups?? From femtowires????

Oh, *I* get it. They probably made nanocups, and then they were like, hey, what's even more cool than nanotechnology? HUGE nanotechnology, that's what! So they tried to build the biggest nanotechnology they could -- the microcup!

Only now it's NOT NANO ANY MORE, is it? You scientists think you're so smart, but you're just mean to rabbits.

Re:Nano/micro

[Cougem]

Actually if the product is 3 orders of magnitude higher (nanowires -> microcups) then nanocups should be made out of picowires, not femtowires. Femtowires would make a picocup.

vapor

[mapkinase]

From TA and similar statements from the lab page of the PI

This kind of nanopaper could soon be used for applications such as bacteria filters, decomposition of pollutants and chemical warfare agents.

.. and where is indicator for that? I do not have access to the peer-reviewed article from home, but usually abstracts give some hints why this new technology has a potential... You can not just claim that every new thing has a potential without at least a bit of theoretical handwaving.

Re:vapor

[Eivind]

It's a reasonable expectation seeing as this "paper" is made from very very thin fibers, thus having a hell of a lot of very very tiny holes, that it can be used for filtration.

So can hold an edge?

[LaminatorX]

I've had a hanckerin' for a monosword for years.

Fold it Seven times?

[Spinlock_1977]

This flexible paper can fold into 3D nanostructures..."

Sure sure sure... but can it be folded more than seven times??

Nano Particles

[fishfish]

I hadn't thought much of the fear of various nano-dusts, etc. getting loose in the environment until my son broke one of those squishy pillows full of little beads open in his room. I encountered a pile of tiny little beads and others clinging to the wall and on every surface and finding their way into other rooms, etc. Even after a good vacuuming I threw my hands up and decided that these things would be around for awhile. That, and taking note of the recent enviro-news on the persistence of Teflon rela

Oh dear!

[RealGrouchy]

These microcups may mean the end of teetotalling as we know it.

"C'mon, really. How much alcohol can be in one microcup of beer? Or a thousand of them?"

- RG>

this is millitechnology, not nanotechnology

[dmoen]

The term "nanotechnology" is supposed to refer to the construction of machines so small, their component sizes are measured in nanometers. Similarly, "microtechnology" refers to tiny machines whose component sizes are measured in micrometers.

However, in the referenced article, the so-called "3D nanostructures" are described as: "These three-dimensional hollow objects can be manipulated by hand and trimmed with scissors". The photos show simple hollow objects that are all larger than a U.S. penny. The com

Nanopaper, what do you make of it?

[skinnygmg]

Well I can make a nanohat, or a nanobroach, or a nanopterodactyl...

A Little Nightmusic

[Doc Ruby]

Or the awaited ingredients for the world's tiniest cellphone, ringing in a movie theater just for you, by the quadrillion - and impossible to grab and turn off.

Microcups?

[whitehatlurker]

Reminds me of a girlfriend from long ago. Ooo pictures ... I'll be back later.

Good news

[Lars T.]

for Microbreweries.