World first to provide building blocks for new nano devices

PA 322/10 Scientists at The University of Nottingham have made a major breakthrough that could help shape the future of nanotechnology, by demonstrating for the first time that 3-D molecular structures can be built on a surface. The discovery could prove a significant step forward towards the development of new nano devices such as cutting-edge optical and electronic technologies and even molecular computers. In a paper published in the prestigious , the team of chemists and physicists at Nottingham have shown that by introducing a 'guest' molecule they can build molecules upwards from a surface rather than just 2-D formations previously achieved. A natural biological process known as 'self-assembly' meant that once the scientists introduced other molecules on to a surface their host then spontaneously arranged them into a rational 3-D structure. Professor Neil Champness said: "It is the molecular equivalent of throwing a pile of bricks up into the air and then as they come down again they spontaneously build a house. "Until now this has only been achievable in 2-D, so to continue the analogy the molecular 'bricks' would only form a path or a patio but our breakthrough now means that we can start to build in the third dimension. It's a significant step forward to nanotechnology." Previously, scientists have employed a technique found in nature of using hydrogen bonds to hold DNA together to build two-dimensional molecular structure.