18 UCW MARCH 3 - 9, 2010
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
WHO ARE YOU?
LOCAL BANDS: Fayetteville wants to
know you! So here's your opportunity.
We will feature all local bands in our
Concert Connection, but it's going to
take a little effort on your part.
1. E-mail Stephanie@upandcomin-
gweekly.com for our Q&A.
2. Fill it out and e-mail it back to us.
3. Send a recent, high-resolution
photo of your band.
4. Look for your article in an upcoming
issue.
DOCKS AT THE CAPITOL
126 Hay St. • 423-6257
www.docksatthecapitol.com
THE DOGHOUSE
3049 Owen Dr. • 910-826-9761
www.thedoghousegroup.com
Mar. 3 Mike O'Donell
Mar. 5 Silver State
Mar. 6 Third Degree
Mar. 7 Johnson Kinlaw
HUSKE HARDWARE HOUSE
405 Hay Street • 437-9905
www.huskehardware.com
Mon. Monday Night Football
Wed. Acoustic Night & Meet
the Brewmaster
Thurs. NFL Football & Ladies
Night
Fri. & Sat. Live DJ and Dancing
Mar. 4 DJ Miracle
Mar. 11 Tommy King
Mar. 18 DJ Miracle
IT'Z ENTERTAINMENT CITY
4118 Legend Ave. • 910-826-4635
www.itzentertainmentcity.com
Mar. 3 David the Piano Man Parker
Mar. 7 DL Token
Mar. 10 David the Piano Man Parker
Mar. 14 DL Token
DOUBLETREE HOTEL
1965 Cedar Creek Rd. • 910-323-8282
Fri. Karaoke with Gilbert Baez
Sat. Chris Hurst
Mon. Martinis & Manicures
Wed. Wings & Draft Beer
JESTER'S PUB
6577 Fisher Road • 910-423-6100
www.jesterspub.com
PADDY'S
2 606B Raeford Rd. • 910-677-0055
www.paddygibneypub.com
Wed. Steel Tip Dart Competition
Thurs. Autumn Nicholas, Paddy & Bill
Fri. Paddy & Bill
THE ROCK SHOP
106 S. Eastern Blvd. • 910-321-ROCK
www.therockshoplive.com
Mar. 5 Darkwater Rising CD release
party
Mar. 6 Dreamkiller/Oakcrest /Jettison
Never
Mar. 7 Ghandi's Never Wrong Twice
LUIGI'S
528 N. McPherson Church Rd. • 910-864-1810
www.luigisnc.com
Mar. 5 Corky Jones and Mighty Blue
Mar. 12 Vyntage
Mar. 19 Corky Jones and Mighty Blue
Mar. 26 Duo Focus
What is the potential for
carbon "nanotubes" in bat-
tery technology? I heard them
referred to as the biggest bat-
tery breakthrough to come
along in years. And what else
can we expect to see in terms
of new battery technology in
coming years?
— R.M. Koncan, via e-mail
The rechargeable lithium-
ion batteries now so common
in everything from iPods to
hybrid cars can store twice
the energy of similarly sized nickel-metal hydride batteries and up to six times
as much as their lead-acid progenitors. But these advances are only a small
evolutionary step from the world's first battery designed by Alessandro Volta
in 1800 using layers of metal and blotting paper soaked in salt water.
With battery technology advances long overdue, researchers are racing
to develop more efficient ways to store power. One hopeful option is in the
use of carbon nanotubes, which can store much more electricity by weight
than lithium-ion batteries while keeping their charge and remain durable for
far longer.
But what are carbon nanotubes, and how can they be used to store ener-
gy? Technicians skilled in working with matter at the molecular (nano) level
can arrange pure carbon molecules in cylindrical structures that are not both
strong and flexible. They have significantly higher energy density and can
store more electricity than any currently available technology. These tubes,
each only billionths of a meter wide, essentially become highly efficient, elec-
trically conductive pipes for storing and providing power.
Electrical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
have formed carbon molecules into tiny springs that store as much electric-
ity as same sized lithium-ion batteries but can maintain a charge while dor-
mant for years and work well in temperature extremes. Stanford University
researchers have created ink made from carbon nanotubes that can be
drawn onto paper where it serves as a high-capacity rechargeable energy
storage medium. And University of Maryland scientists have created nano-
structures able to store and transport power at 10 times the energy density
of lithium-ion batteries.
Other technologies in development include batteries using zinc-air,
lithium-air and other combinations of elements to provide longer run-times
between recharges. Others still are working on prototype nuclear batteries,
the trick being to make them small enough to be practical, let alone safe.
Of course, the accelerating growth of nanotechnology itself, which has
not yet been thoroughly tested to evaluate potential down sides, has some
health advocates worried. Animal studies have shown that some nanoparti-
cles, if inhaled or ingested, can harm the lungs and also cross the blood-brain
barrier, which protects the brain from toxins in the bloodstream.
And then there are fuel cells, created in 1839 but only recently commer-
cialized. Not batteries per se, fuel cells generate, store and dispense power by
forcing a reaction between a fuel (hydrogen from water, methanol) and oxy-
gen, creating usable non-polluting electricity. One major hurdle for fuel cell
makers is making them small enough to be able to work in laptops and other
small personal electronics.
CONTACTS: "Researchers fired up over new battery," MIT News,
"Carbon Nanotubes Turn Office Paper into Batteries," Scientific American,
www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=carbon-nanotubes-turn-off.
SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®, P.O.
Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past col-
umns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. EarthTalk® is now a
book! Details and order information at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalkbook.
Can Nanotubes Be Used
in Batteries?
From the Editors of Environmental Magazine
