I should have read further before I asked for “what practical use for this phenomenon”:
“it should be possible to make “ice wires” that would be among the best carriers known for protons, because water conducts protons at least 10 times more readily than typical conductive materials. “This gives us very stable water wires, at room temperature.” Proton conductors are a component in fuel cells.
I didn’t read the article - but that’s what I was thinking - some way to conduct energy. I wonder if it could act as a “stiffening” agent. I have no idea how stiff the carbon nanotubes are - but could see a roll of fabric of it rolled off a truck, fill it with water somehow, and now you have a hard surface (like a runway???) I wonder if because each individual ice particle is so small it wouldn’t break like regular ice?
“it should be possible to make “ice wires” that would be among the best carriers known for protons, because water conducts protons at least 10 times more readily than typical conductive materials.”
I was taught that water was actually a poor conductor, but rather the impurities in the water led to its conductivity. I have later discovered that teacher wasn’t the genius I thought he was, and here is another example to further that discovery.