World's Smallest Hypodermic Needle

Scientists have created unusually long carbon nanotubes that could one day be used as tiny hypodermic needles, capable of injecting molecules one at a time.

The above sequence of images shows the creation of a nanotube as a highly focused infrared laser tugs on a polymer membrane that has been colored with a fluorescent dye. The white scale bar indicates 10 micrometers. The nanotubes are about 1 centimeter long and stable enough to maintain their shape indefinitely.

Nanotubes made from other materials are used to transport biochemical applications, but they are typically fragile and usually collapse within a few hours.

The study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST), was detailed in the current issue of the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.