www.nanopicoftheday.org
March 21, 2004
Spring has
Sprung
Source:
Lai-Sheng Wang
References:
- Synthesis,
Characterization, and Manipulation of Helical SiO2 Nanosprings
H. F. Zhang, C. M. Wang, E. C. Buck, and L. S. Wang
Nano Lett. 3, 577-580 (2003)
Description:
These Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) nanosprings may have formed by accident, but they
have been shown to be very mechanically robust, and behave very much like their
macroscale counterparts. Researchers have been able to heat them with a
TEM electron beam to measure expansion and contraction with temperature, and
they have been able to push and pull them with an AFM tip to measure the
mechanical properties. They can actually store energy and "spring back"
into shape. These nanosprings offer great potential for use in nanoscale
mechanical devices.
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