Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > News > How to Grow Glass Nanotubes, Naturally

May 30th, 2007

How to Grow Glass Nanotubes, Naturally

Abstract:
Scientists from France have stumbled upon an interesting, almost spontaneous process to create silica nanotubes.

From the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique announcement:

The vertebral skeleton is probably the most remarkable example of the efficiency of living organisms in forming robust structures which closely combine organic and mineral materials, in this case calcium phosphate. However, in the submarine environment, numerous and frequently single-cell organisms can achieve similar exploits by using silica to produce carapaces and spines to protect themselves, or spicules that are fibers which direct light to their neurons as effectively as the best optical fibers. With a complex architecture and shape, these natural structures are even more astonishing in that they develop spontaneously in water under moderate conditions of temperature and pressure, according to mechanisms which are still largely unknown. This feat is a dream for chemists who are often obliged to heat, extrude or compress materials under aggressive conditions in order to endow them with a shape.

Source:
medgadget.com

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

Nanotubes/Buckyballs/Fullerenes/Nanorods/Nanostrings/Nanosheets

Tiny nanosheets, big leap: A new sensor detects ethanol at ultra-low levels January 30th, 2026

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Chainmail-like material could be the future of armor: First 2D mechanically interlocked polymer exhibits exceptional flexibility and strength January 17th, 2025

Innovative biomimetic superhydrophobic coating combines repair and buffering properties for superior anti-erosion December 13th, 2024

Materials/Metamaterials/Magnetoresistance

First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025

Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Institute for Nanoscience hosts annual proposal planning meeting May 16th, 2025

Announcements

A fundamentally new therapeutic approach to cystic fibrosis: Nanobody repairs cellular defect April 17th, 2026

Qjump: Shallow-circuit quantum sampling guides combinatorial optimization On up to 104 superconducting qubits, Qjump assists in searching the ground states of hard Ising problems and might outperform simulated annealing on near-term quantum hardware April 17th, 2026

Rice study resolves decades-old mystery in organic light-emitting crystals: Findings reveal how molecular defects can enhance light conversion efficiency: April 17th, 2026

UC Irvine physicists discover method to reverse ‘quantum scrambling’ : The work addresses the problem of information loss in quantum computing system April 17th, 2026

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project