3M tape ‘can produce x-rays’

3M’s Scotch tape can be used to produce x-rays, researchers have found.

The tape – manufactured by Adper Scotchbond 1 XT dental adhesive producer 3M – may also benefit the dental industry by creating short bursts of x-rays produced by a flow of electrons when the tape is unpeeled.

Covered by the journal Nature, cited by the International Herald tribune, research conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, found electrical currents generated bursts of x-rays around a billionth of a second long and containing 300,000 x-ray photons.

Professor of physics at the university Seth Putterman described the results as “some kind of microscopic lightning effect”.

An x-ray of a finger could be achieved using the method, it was reported – but at present it has only been observed in a vacuum.

3M’s formula for its Scotch tape adhesive is a trade secret, meaning researchers could not give details on what is happening on the molecular scale when the tape is unpeeled.

In the future, Professor Putterman plans to use Scotch tape for nuclear fission.