This video comes to us from scientists, guys and gals who have specialized degrees and who enjoy math. We look up to them and want them to know we mean absolutely no disrespect when we say that the video linked above looks like a magic trick.
A person in a labcoat holds a paper-thin ceramic sheet before the camera. The person bends it, rolls it and showcases its flexibility shortly before clipping it to a stand and attacking it with a blowtorch. We weren’t really sure what would happen to the sheet when the demonstration began, but perhaps the most surprising thing was seeing no change to sheet at all. It glowed orange for a few moments and was rolled around again by the person in the labcoat to show that it had lost none of its previous flexibility.
Beyond being a nifty demonstration (and perhaps an overt challenge to notorious ceramics-smasher Ai Weiwei) the sheet has practical applications for efficient, high-temperature fuel cell systems. You can read more about them in a slightly-technical article linked here. The 2011 article notes that the research has some ways to go before its viable for the market, but among ceramic membranes’ potential uses are:
“…functions across the cleantech landscape, including ion transport, thermal management, catalysis of gases and liquids, power generation, energy storage, hydrogen purification and storage, generation of light, and energy from waste processes, among many others. The high performance of ceramic membranes makes them strong candidates to fill critical technology gaps in many applications and industries, including advanced nuclear energy, air pollution control, solar energy, biofuels and biorefining, carbon sequestration, high-capacity energy storage, the hydrogen infrastructure, solid-state lighting, thermoelectric, thin-film solar, waste-to-energy, water remediation, harsh environment sensors, and wind power.”
We’ve discussed scientific, seemingly-unkillable ceramics on CFile before. You can learn more about them here.
Above image: A ceramic sheet and blowtorch demonstration screenshot, courtesy of Ceramic Industry.
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