Carbon nanotubes speakers to unveil secrets of deep seas

London, June 14(ANI): Knowing the secrets of the deep seas can now become easier, thanks to the invention of carbon nanotube speakers.

Engineers seem to have found an alternative to the sound projectors used in long-range sonar, with the creation of an underwater speaker using thin sheets of nanotubes, reports New Scientist.

Ali Aliev's team at the NanoTech Institute, University of Texas at Dallas knew that passing an alternating current through carbon-nanotube sheets could mimic the vibrations of a speaker cone, as the sheet quickly heats and cools the surrounding air.

The team has now shown that the speakers perform tremendously underwater.

Water's high heat capacity and low thermal expansion is capable of absorbing any temperature fluctuations.

But the nanotubes' hydrophobic properties creates an air pocket around the sheet, which expands and contracts as the sheet heats and cools, pushing the surrounding water in and out as a piston would.

These sheets generate a wide range of frequencies, including those below 4 kilohertz, which are used for long-range sonar, said Aliev.

But nowadays there is a high demand for lighter devices, he added. (ANI)