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Ben Wang, a professor of industrial engineering at
the Florida A&M University-FSU College of Engineering in Tallahassee,
Fla. , serves as director of FAC2T (www.fac2t.eng.fsu.edu), which
works to develop new, high-performance composite materials, as well as
technologies for producing them.
Wang is widely acknowledged as a pioneer in the
growing field of nano-materials science. His main area of research,
involving an extraordinary material known as "buckypaper," has shown
promise in a variety of applications, including the development of
aerospace structures, the production of more-effective body armor and
armored vehicles, and the construction of next-generation computer
displays. The U.S. military has shown a keen interest in the military
applications of Wang's research; in fact, the Army Research Lab
recently awarded FAC2T a $2.5-million grant, while the Air Force
Office of Scientific Research awarded $1.2 million.
"At FAC2T, our objective is to push the envelope to
find out just how strong of a composite material we can make using
buckypaper," Wang said. "In addition, we're focused on developing
processes that will allow it to be mass-produced cheaply."
Buckypaper is made from carbon nanotubes --
amazingly strong fibers about 1/50,000th the diameter of a human hair
that were first developed in the early 1990s. Buckypaper owes its name
to Buckminsterfullerene, or Carbon 60 -- a type of carbon molecule
whose powerful atomic bonds make it twice as hard as a diamond. Sir
Harold Kroto, now a professor and scientist with FSU's department of
chemistry and biochemistry, and two other scientists shared the 1996
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of Buckminsterfullerene,
nicknamed "buckyballs" for the molecules' spherical shape. Their
discovery has led to a revolution in the fields of chemistry and
materials science -- and directly contributed to the development of
buckypaper.
Among the possible uses for buckypaper that are
being researched at FAC2T:
If exposed to an electric charge, buckypaper could
be used to illuminate computer and television screens. It would be
more energy-efficient, lighter, and would allow for a more uniform
level of brightness than current cathode ray tube (CRT) and liquid
crystal display (LCD) technology.
As one of the most thermally conductive materials
known, buckypaper lends itself to the development of heat sinks that
would allow computers and other electronic equipment to disperse heat
more efficiently than is currently possible. This, in turn, could lead
to even greater advances in electronic miniaturization.
Because it has an unusually high current-carrying
capacity, a film made from buckypaper could be applied to the
exteriors of airplanes. Lightning strikes then would flow around the
plane and dissipate without causing damage.
Films also could protect electronic circuits and
devices within airplanes from electromagnetic interference, which can
damage equipment and alter settings. Similarly, such films could allow
military aircraft to shield their electromagnetic "signatures," which
can be detected via radar.
FAC2T "is at the very forefront of a technological
revolution that will dramatically change the way items all around us
are produced," said Kirby Kemper, FSU's vice president for Research. "The
group of faculty, staff, students and post-docs in this center have
been visionary in their ability to recognize the tremendous potential
of nanotechnology. The potential applications are mind-boggling."
FSU has four U.S. patents pending that are related
to its buckypaper research.
In addition to his academic and scientific
responsibilities, Wang recently was named FSU's assistant vice
president for Research. In this role, he will help to advance research
activities at the College of Engineering and throughout the university.
"I look forward to bringing researchers together to
pursue rewarding research opportunities," Wang said. "We have very
knowledgeable and talented faculty and students, and I will be working
with them to help meet their full potential for advancement in their
fields."
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