Nanowires of Unlimited Length

StCredZero writes with word of a research team from the University of Illinois who have developed a way to manufacture nanowires of any length from various materials. Not, unfortunately, carbon nanotubes, or we would be looking for news on space elevators soon. The process is analogous to drawing with a fountain pen — as liquid is drawn from a reservoir, a solvent (water or an organic) evaporates and the solute precipitates onto a substrate. The researchers have demonstrated a way to spin and wind a nanowire onto a spool; they have produced a coil of microfiber 850 nm in diameter and 40 cm long. Here's the abstract from the journal Advanced Materials.

Hee hee hee

[Warui Kami]

From TFA (The Fine Abstract):

Abstract
No abstract.

You know what they say

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not the length of the wire, it's how you use it.

good

[rastoboy29]

Now we can finally start closing the so called "garotte gap" with the Russians.

Re:Best part of the article

[Kelerain]

the researchers drew nanofibers out of sugar

Ladies and gentlemen, this is an unparalleled breakthrough in cotton candy technology.

Been watching too much Futurama

[CrazyJim1]

And over there is my intergalactic spaceship. And here's where I keep assorted lengths of wire.

PENIS PENIS HAHAHAHAHAHA PENIS

[Anonymous Coward]

i have a penis of unlimited length. i just thought you all should know this.

the fibre so thin that ...

[zen-theorist]

there's nothing to see here. move along.

Re:wait...

[Garridan]

Apparently, a thing needs only be measured in nanometers to be considered "nano". My car is also nano-scale, being a scant 1524000000 nanometers tall!

I've created an infinite length nanowire

[doomy]

It looks like this "O"

Re:I've created an infinite length nanowire

[Loibisch]

Since it's a nanowire wouldn't it look more like "o" or even "."? :)

unlimited?

[Drantin]

How long will it take to manufacture a nanowire of infinite length?

I dont think that word means what you think it mea

[dissy]

Nanowires of Unlimited Length

So would that be comcast unlimited length, timewarner unlimited length, or AT&T unlimited length?

And could you convert that to a unit of cars or library of congresses?

Re:Best part of the article

[h4rm0ny]

No - it will just slice your tongue to pieces. "Nano-Cotton Candy - the Sharpest Flavour Ever!" ;)

Re:You know what they say

[TheVelvetFlamebait]

Is it... is it connected yet?

Re:Shigawire!!

[Tancred]

Frank Herbert was prescient....

Yeah. Must have been all the melange.

Anyone else remember the ornithopters dragging a big loop of shigawire in an assassination attempt? Probably around the Children of Dune / God Emperor time period.

Re:unlimited?

[Yetihehe]

Better question: How long will it blend?

nano nano

[dwater]

There's only one image I see when I read the word 'nano'. My brain always doubles it up into 'nano nano'.

Am I alone?

Please say I am. I wouldn't wish it on anyone...

Re:wait...

[Garridan]

Do you doubt that I could measure my car to within a range of +/- 1 micrometer [wikipedia.org]? No sweat. My micrometer is about 3.5 inches long, and my car is 5' tall, plus or minus an inch. That puts it at a height of 17.15 +/- 0.28 micrometers. No wonder shuttles keep crashing... you Americans know nothing about the metric system!

Re:Hee hee hee

[spectrokid]

That is because it is written in nano-ink. Get out your magnifier glass.

Re:Spiderman sitings ahoy

[samkass]

"This is my drawer full of various lengths of wire... that's my interstellar spaceship.... here, let me show you some wire..."

Re:Best part of the article

[Devar]

Am I the only one that read that comment and heard Professor Frink saying it?

Re:wait...

[jez9999]

Apparently, a thing needs only be measured in nanometers to be considered "nano".

Or, rather small and made by Apple.

Re:Hee hee hee

[Anonymous Coward]

If the nanowires become too long, they would become microwires, milliwires, wires, kilowires, megawires, gigawires and so on...

Unfortunately...

[C10H14N2]

It would take three or four Hiroshimas worth of power to spin a single Library of Congress length of nanowire, but amazingly it would only weigh one Escalade despite being able to support five Empire State Buildings. Unfortunately, it would also cost one Medicaid budget per Los Angeles to Sydney length of cable the width of a human hair.