BIG IDEAS FROM TINY FIBERS: NASA AND RICE TEAM UP



October 14, 1998



Phil West
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone 281-483-9236)



Lia Unrau
Rice University, Houston, TX
(Phone 713-831-4793)

<h4>Release: J98-47</h4> <h3>Big Ideas From Tiny Fibers: NASA and Rice 
Team Up</h3> 

Research on new materials and products using fullerene fibers -- 
carbon fiber tubular structures, potentially 30 to 100 times stronger 
than steel but one-sixth its weight -- is planned by a team at NASA 
and Rice University.



NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin and Rice University President 
Malcolm Gillis are to sign a statement of collaboration outlining the 
proposed agreement in a ceremony at Rice on Thursday, October 15, 
1998. The event is open to members of the news media.



Fullerene fibers are so small they can only be seen with the most 
powerful microscopes. They have a number of desirable qualities, 
including potential tensile strength higher than any known fiber and 
electrical conductivity similar to metals. Possible applications 
include composite materials with extraordinary strength, smaller 
semi-conductors, mechanical systems with atomic-scale dimensions, 
chemical sensors, and power and hydrogen storage devices.



The proposed Rice-NASA effort will establish collaboration in research 
and applications for these tiny fibers. Dr. Richard Smalley, who 
received the Nobel Prize in 1996 for his discovery of fullerenes, 
will lead the Rice participation. Smalley is also director of Rice's 
Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, which studies structures 
on the scale of a billionth of a meter. The effort will combine the 
expertise of NASA and a pioneering research group at Rice University 
to establish a world-class research team in this field.



The signing event will take place at 10:00 a.m. Central time in Lovett 
Hall on the Rice Campus and is open to the media. Lovett Hall is 
located inside Entrances 1 and 2 off of Main Street. Media interested 
in attending can begin setting up at 8 a.m. and should contact Lia 
Unrau, science editor in the Rice University Media Relations Office, 
at (713) 831-4793, for further details.

	
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