Good as Gold, Small as Atoms

Inspired by the molecular assembly techniques used in living cells, scientists early this year created a new class of nanometer-scale building blocks that can spontaneously assemble themselves into ultra-tiny spheres, tubes and curved sheets.

The technique involved connecting segments of gold with polymer building blocks.

It was the first time scientists made structures on such a small scale that curve, as opposed to being straight or flat. The researchers can also control the size and curvature very accurately, so they say the technology could eventually lead to applications in nanoscale electronics and drug-delivery systems.

Nanotechnology involves building machines with individual atoms and molecules. If that sounds like Nature's work, then you're on to the idea.

"We are trying to mimic life itself," said Chad Mirkin, a Northwestern University researcher who led the effort to create circular nanostructures. "Much like proteins which must fold into complex structures in order to function properly, we have designed new materials that also form complex structures through the process of self-assembly."

-- Robert Roy Britt

Credit: Chad Mirkin, Northwestern University via NSF