Carbon nanotubes can double growth of plant cells

Heisenberg

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
Published: Wednesday, April 4, 2012: A dose of carbon nanotubes more than doubles the growth rate of plant cell cultures -- workhorses in the production of everything from lifesaving medications to sweeteners to dyes and perfumes -- researchers are reporting. Their study, the first to show that carbon nanotubes boost plant cell division and growth, appears in the journal ACS Nano.

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Do I sense a future AN product, Nuclear Nano or some other pretentious drivel. Would be exciting if this pans out though.
 
ginjawarrior

ginjawarrior

Well-Known Member
Heisenberg said:
Published: Wednesday, April 4, 2012: A dose of carbon nanotubes more than doubles the growth rate of plant cell cultures -- workhorses in the production of everything from lifesaving medications to sweeteners to dyes and perfumes -- researchers are reporting. Their study, the first to show that carbon nanotubes boost plant cell division and growth, appears in the journal ACS Nano.

Link

Do I sense a future AN product, Nuclear Nano or some other pretentious drivel. Would be exciting if this pans out though.
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sod AN products carbon nanotubes look to be pretty simple to make

http://madscientistjunior.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/how-to-make-carbon-nanotubes.html
http://madscientistjunior.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/how-to-make-carbon-nanotubes.html
How to Make Carbon Nanotubes

So I've been reading around, and I came across some methodology that suggested it is relatively straightforward to grow short carbon nanotubes. According to their recipe:

1) Construct vacuum chamber with heavy-duty anode and cathode within.

2) Bridge electrodes with carbon rod, evacuate atmosphere from chamber.

3) Arc 220V electricity through the carbon rod.

4) Carbon nanotubes will grow upon the anode.

5) Modulate chemical properties of carbon nanotubes by changing the atmosphere of the vacuum chamber. Apparently it's not so much important that there be no atmosphere as it is that there be no oxygen, which is fine by me as it is easier to build. Hydrogen makes sweeter nanotubes, while a nitrogen mix makes for more bitter ones.
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they're supposed to be as bad for you lungs as asbestos tho so you'd have to have proper ventilation/ masks till you could get them in solution
 
RyanTheRhino

RyanTheRhino

Well-Known Member
Hmm Not the best at chemistry but it looks like the 3 double bonded oxygens of cellulose could almost laterally branch out to the 3 double bonded carbons on the nanotube. looks like a plant could make a composite of alternating cellulose, CNT, cellulose, CNT, cellulose,..ect. tubes. hmm that would be a much,much,much stronger structural support for a plant. The plant could concentrate on production and new growth without compromising structural integrity. I wonder if it would make the food harder, like make the kernels of corn harder when you try to eat it.


What do you think Heisenberg.. i assume you like chemistry with that name.:mrgreen:





carbon structure

Cellulose structure

 

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Doer

Doer

Well-Known Member
Hmm...haven't had a chance to study it yet, but the first thing that occurred to me was not the plants but harvesting long, mulitlayer CN tubes.
AN tubes are very short, I think. I wonder what sweet and bitter refer to in tubes?

Longer tubes means a space elevator cable is finally feasible.
 
Heisenberg

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
RyanTheRhino said:
What do you think Heisenberg.. i assume you like chemistry with that name.:mrgreen:
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Haha, I picked this name/avatar purely for the drug reference. I had no idea i'd be discussing science more than growing on these forums. I am interested in chemistry, but lack any sort of training.

From what I understand this application involves multi-walled tubes. The tubes stimulate the genes inside the cell which regulate growth, causing more than double the division. It is also thought that the tubes may provide channels for water delivery which gives the stimulated genes more resources. I didn't read anything about the tubes providing structural integrity, and as far as I know, this has only been done with cell cultures, not actual plants.


We definitely could have an entire thread for all the amazing things nano tubes can be used for.
 
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