Scientists pioneer new method for nanoribbon production

PA 239/11 Research involving scientists from The University of Nottingham is pioneering a new method of studying and making molecules. The work, reported , could pave the way for the production of nanomaterials for use in a new generation of computers and data storage devices that are faster, smaller and more powerful. The Nottingham research group, led by Andrei Khlobystov in the University's School of Chemistry, specialise in the chemistry of nanomaterials and has been studying carbon nanotubes as containers for molecules and atoms. Carbon nanotubes are remarkable nanostructures with a typical diameter of 1-2 nanometres, which is 80,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. Over the past few years, the researchers have discovered that physical and chemical properties of molecules inserted into carbon nanotubes are very different to the properties of free molecules. This presents a powerful mechanism for manipulating the molecules, harnessing their functional properties, such as magnetic or optical, and for controlling their chemical reactivity. The latest study is a collaboration between Khlobystov's chemical nanoscientists, theoretical chemists based in the University's School of Chemistry and electron microscopists from Ulm University in German.