Researchers create inexpensive, super-strong "nanoglue"

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have announced that they've developed a new type of glue that's not only inexpensive, but can supposedly bond "nearly anything" together. To create the so-called "nanoglue," the team created a thin layer of "molecular chains" with a carbon backbone and sandwiched it between a thin film of copper and silica (as less-than-realistically depicted above). They then found that the more they heated the "nanosandwich," the stickier it got, ultimately going all the way up to temperature of 700 degrees Celsius before reaching its peak. Not surprisingly, the researchers see a wide range of uses for the glue, including applications in nano and microelectronic devices, not to mention high-heat environments -- for instance, holding paint to the inside of a jet engine. They also don't seem to think it'll have any trouble catching on, costing just $35 for 100 grams -- which, when you get down to the nano level, works out to be quite a bargain.

[Via Reuters]

[iamdigitalman @ May 17th 2007 7:42AM]

*engadget comment*

-some snippy little remark that makes it look like you are not spamming.

-the link to your crappy website/blog which is the only reason you posted here in the first place

*/engadget comment*

[achilles @ May 17th 2007 9:20AM]

Damn it! I should have gone to RPI instead of RIT...

[glue dude @ May 17th 2007 10:13AM]

Wow! Just imagine how difficult it would be to tighten those tiny nuts and bolts! It's great that they can make hardware that small, but I don't have any tools to tighten 'em up. Time consuming too, I think I'll just stick with epoxy...

[Mark @ May 17th 2007 11:26AM]

Hmm, looks like potential here for use in producing cable for a space elevator. Until they get to the point of being able to produce carbon nanotubes of infinite length, glue strength between strands is a critical factor.

[elurle @ May 17th 2007 12:55PM]

Original story
"when heated to 750 degrees Fahrenheit (400 degrees Celsius) or higher, the copper and silica formed a strong chemical bond and it became much stronger -- increasing its stickiness by five to seven times." Not 700C

[Chuckles McGee @ May 17th 2007 3:06PM]

Man, making those little metal hooks and chains at the nanoscale level must have taken some very steady fingers.

[Naveed @ May 17th 2007 3:21PM]

now i can permanently fix my glass bong

[Juaquin @ May 17th 2007 7:05PM]

Great, now my fingers will be glued together even stronger!