IN THE late 1980s, the book Engines of Creationby Eric Drexler caused quite a stir. It described a coming revolution in nanotechnology - the design of machines and structures on the scale of billionths of a metre. Drexler predicted that within a few decades we would have swarms of molecular devices that could build virtually anything.
It was a compelling vision. Now, 20 years on, are we any closer to it? The clear answer is yes. Researchers have made serious progress in the engineering of nanoscale devices that could eventually power our gadgets, do our computing and monitor the air we breathe, all in super-fast and efficient ways.
Researchers know that it is not just size that matters but, crucially, shape. The shapes of nanostructures dictate their basic properties: how they conduct electricity and heat, how they absorb light, how durable they are, and how they behave with other structures.
NanotubesIt was the early 1990s when nanotubes started to attract widespread attention. These rigatoni-shaped structures are harder to bend or break than steel and just a fraction of its weight; they buckle when folded, but can then snap back to their original shape. What's more, they can be made to conduct electricity or stymie it like a semiconductor. It all depends on the bonds between their carbon atoms. This versatility makes them ideal for computers and other electronics.
Nanotubes could be used, for instance, as the basis for ultra-dense and robust storage systems that could replace the flash memory in cameras and the hard drives in PCs and mobile devices.
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