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Nanowires of Unlimited Length

Posted by kdawson on from the eat-your-heart-out-spiderman dept.

StCredZero writes with word of a research team from the University of Illinois who have developed a way to manufacture nanowires of any length from various materials. Not, unfortunately, carbon nanotubes, or we would be looking for news on space elevators soon. The process is analogous to drawing with a fountain pen — as liquid is drawn from a reservoir, a solvent (water or an organic) evaporates and the solute precipitates onto a substrate. The researchers have demonstrated a way to spin and wind a nanowire onto a spool; they have produced a coil of microfiber 850 nm in diameter and 40 cm long. Here's the abstract from the journal Advanced Materials.

5 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Hee hee hee by Warui+Kami · · Score: 5, Funny

    From TFA (The Fine Abstract):

    Abstract
    No abstract.

  2. Re:Best part of the article by Kelerain · · Score: 5, Funny

    the researchers drew nanofibers out of sugar

    Ladies and gentlemen, this is an unparalleled breakthrough in cotton candy technology.

  3. I dont think that word means what you think it mea by dissy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nanowires of Unlimited Length So would that be comcast unlimited length, timewarner unlimited length, or AT&T unlimited length?

    And could you convert that to a unit of cars or library of congresses?

  4. Re:You know what they say by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is it... is it connected yet?

    --
    You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
  5. Unfortunately... by C10H14N2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    It would take three or four Hiroshimas worth of power to spin a single Library of Congress length of nanowire, but amazingly it would only weigh one Escalade despite being able to support five Empire State Buildings. Unfortunately, it would also cost one Medicaid budget per Los Angeles to Sydney length of cable the width of a human hair.