World's strongest nanowires 'near perfect materials'

[tuvor]

Scientists say they have made the world's strongest nanowire, reaching the theoretical limits of what they had designed.

The nanowire, which is about 1,000 times thinner than a human hair, is so strong it could support 16 African elephants if it were scaled up to the size of a child's finger, says associate professor John Sader from Australia's University of Melbourne.

Sader is part of an international team of scientists that grew the semiconducting nanomaterial, publishing the results in the journal Nano Letters.

"The ultimate strength we report is the highest recorded for any semiconductor material system and is at the theoretically predicted limit," says Sader, who was involved in measuring the strength of the wires using an atomic force microscope.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2006/12/19/tech-nano.html

[applegrove]

1. Cool!

[Jackpine Radical]

2. What are its potential applications?

[evlbstrd]

4. From the link:

Paul Mulvaney from the University of Melbourne's school of chemistry, who wasn't involved in the research, says the nanowires could be used as sensors to detect gases, air pollutants or biological agents. This is because they function as super-sensitive "tuning forks" that change frequency when molecules become attached to them.

"Because the wires are so small, they can detect very small amounts of materials absorbing on to their surface," he says.

They could also be used as nanoscale metronomes that vibrate in high-frequency timing devices or in computer chips, he says.

Germanium nanowires are also ideal candidates for making optical devices such as light-emitting diodes and tuneable lasers, Mulvaney said.

[tridim]

7. Really big kites.

Or more seriously, space elevators are a major application.

However, I'm more intrigued by nanomachines.

This one is 1/2 the width of a human hair:

[Occulus]

8. Seconding the space elevator application

The only thing keeping this from happening is lack of materials. The theory is sound; it just needs to be built. These nanowires could be a key component.

I like the pic, by the way. I see that's part of a larger nanomachine- do you know what it does, or maybe have a pic with a wider view?

[TheMadMonk]

9. Actually, IIRC, it's possible, if just barely with Spectra (tm)

[Occulus]

10. Spectra? Can you elaborate? n/t

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

3. If they could grow it long enough, the things they could do...

-Bundle it into cables and build the perfect suspension bridge.
-Make an unbreakable rope, and use it for almost any industrial application (including towing heavy vehicles).
-Make a perfect surgical scalpel by running a single filament and using it as a cutting edge.
-Weave it into cloth and make a genuine bulletproof vest.

--And many more cool things.

[evlbstrd]

5. Arthur C. Clarke's Space Elevator comes to mind.

It would make access to orbit less expensive, less hazardous and much less polluting.

[Botany]

6. Now how do you get an elephant on that wire?

:rofl: