Faster catalysing through nanotubery
Purple running lights and flame decals will not make your car go faster. Very tiny tubes, on the other hand, can increase the speed of chemical reactions by up to 10 times.
A Chinese research team has found that inside a carbon nanotubes, metal catalysts perform that much better. And it’s not just the size of the tube — the carbon nanotube is unique in this regard, prompting the researchers to theorize that it’s the configuration of electrons that creates the effect. This could make ethanol fuel production faster and cheaper. The speed increase works for other reactions as well.
This team has a thing for tiny tubes. In 2004 they set the record for the smallest test tube.
