Quantum Wires

Silverlancer writes "Room temperature superconductors have often been a hallmark of far-future science fiction. But fortunately for us, they're here today, according to MIT's Technology Review. Richard Smalley, winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize for the discovery of the buckyball, is currently heading a project to produce a prototype carbon nanotube superconductor. They've already produced some wires up to 100 meters long--the only thing left to do is figure out how to produce only a certain type of nanotube, the "5,5 armchair nanotube," that conducts so well that it can be considered a superconductor."

Comments

Some hurdles

[slobber]

There is one type of carbon nanotube which is ideal for near superconductivity. Unfotunatley, right now only multiple types can be produced on a large scale. One of the proposed solutions is to "seed" the nanotube growth process with the desired type so essentialy the growth occurs through cloning. The cool thing about this is that if it works, it should be possible to have supercondutivity at room temperature.