Platinum Nanomuscles Developed

Posted by michael on Thursday May 1, 2003 @07:15AM from the need-tiny-cans-of-spinach dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Institut für Nanotechnologie in Duisburg 'reports in the latest issue of the Journal Science that they have been able to use a tiny electric charge to flex a piece of 'nanoporous' platinum - an artificial sandwich of platinum atoms riddled with tiny holes. Nanomuscles weigh just one gram but can lift 140 grams, and are preferred to electric motors as they are far cheaper to produce: 50 cents each compared to US$300. They also make less noise and operate more smoothly. They could one day replace most small electric motors in toys, cameras and other devices.'"

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Re:Cheap materials by esampson · 2003-05-01 14:09 · Score: 2, Interesting

The article didn't say they were solid platinum. The muscles are composed of platinum atoms sandwiched between two layers of some other kind of substance.

That said, I'm still sceptical about .50 a gram.