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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.

7 of 111 comments (clear)

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

    From TFA (The Fine Abstract):

    Abstract
    No abstract.

  2. Best part of the article by Weaselmancer · · Score: 5, Informative

    IMHO, is this:

    To further demonstrate the versatility of the drawing process, for which the U. of I. has applied for a patent, the researchers drew nanofibers out of sugar, out of potassium hydroxide (a major industrial chemical) and out of densely packed quantum dots.

    Nanowires made of quantum dots? Sounds like an outstanding way to make a super efficient solar panel.

    You could lay out nano structures of quantum dots with whatever spacing and precision you'd like. And unlike all the other advances we usually see here on /. this one is already working.

    --
    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.
    1. 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.

    2. Re:Best part of the article by googlebear · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yeah the nano wires of quantum dots sounds very interesting. In my introduction to Nanotech course at school I did a presentation on qunatum dot cellular automata. Essentially they design logic circuits out of precisely laid out circuits of quantum dots. The technology is proof of concept and was awaiting improvements in production technologies . Maybe this will indeed be the key to unlocking 10-20ghz processors (They don't have the same leaky qualities when as densely packed as chips built with MOSFETT. They use electron interactions as a means of propagating signals as opposed to actual current flow) .. Anyhow here is a link to the university doing the research on QCA's for those of you interested... HERE -Ian Roessle

  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.