Pointing the Way for Micro Motion

netjeff writes: "As reported in the 27 Oct 2001 issue of Science News, Japanese researchers have found a way to control movement of microtubules. They wanted to get the tubules to move around a circular track in one direction, but the tubules would move randomly. Their solution? Simply point the way. More precisely, etch arrowheads into the circular track, and the tubules will move in that direction only. A good example showing that building micro-machines requires a different way of thinking compared to building macro-machines."

Comments

Nanotube manufacturing

[Man of E]

This could be a vital step in actually being able to build an assembly-line manufacturing "plant" for nanotube structures. So instead of just building a single nanotube structure using, say, an atomic force microscope, you might be able to build tons of them fairly quickly. These could then be used to make the advanced materials that nanotechnology keeps promising.
It would be just like growing nanotubes the way it's currently done, except you'd end up with still more complex structures rather than just the tubes!

Similar to a Liquid Crystal technique

[wnknisely]

When I was working in Liquid Crystal Phase Transition research, we used to force the "orientation" of certain liquid crystal phases by swiping our finger across the glass slide.

The oil on your finger and the ridges of your finger prints would leave a nice little pattern on the glass, and the molecules of the liquid crystal would pick up a preferential ordering from the trail.

I never thought of making a circular pattern though - I wonder what would have happened? It might be expecially cool with Cholesteric liquid crystal phases that have a helical structure to them...

I wonder if you could create springs using nanotubes with a bend in them (like an elbow macaroni) and this sort of etching technique? Probably not - since I can't imagine how to get the 3rd dimension involved, but then I was always better at theory anyhow... (not saying much).