Telescoping nanotubes offer new option for nonvolatile memory

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Design of the telescoping carbon nanotube in three positions: (a) equilibrium (b) inner nanotube in contact with right electrode and (c) inner nanotube in contact with left electrode. An applied electrostatic force pulls the inner nanotube to the des ...
Design of the telescoping carbon nanotube in three positions: (a) equilibrium, (b) inner nanotube in contact with right electrode, and (c) inner nanotube in contact with left electrode. An applied electrostatic force pulls the inner nanotube to the desired position. Credit: Jeong Won Kang, et al.

In the midst of a widespread and potentially highly lucrative search for next-generation nonvolatile memory, scientists from the University of California have put to use an interesting characteristic of carbon nanotubes. When one hollow nanotube is inserted into a second (slightly larger) nanotube, scientists can achieve a rapid telescoping motion that can be applied to binary or triple digit memory for future molecular-scale computers.


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