Nanotechnology Researchers Surprised to Find Unusual Strength Properties of Nanomaterials and May Expolit Them in Future Nanomachines


In yet another twist on the strangeness of the nanoworld, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland-College Park have discovered that materials such as silica that are quite brittle in bulk form behave as ductile as gold at the nanoscale. Their results may affect the design of future nanomachines.