Scientists belt out a novel nanostructure
For several years, researchers have been creating a variety of microscopic tubes and wires just tens of atoms wide. They hope someday to use these creations as components in extraordinarily small sensors, electronics, and other microscopic machines. Now, their toolbox has another promising miniature component: the nanobelt.
The ribbonlike structure can be made from various semiconducting metal oxides including zinc oxide and tin oxide, says materials scientist Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He and his colleagues report their belt-making handiwork in the March 9 Science.