Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!nanotech From: burns@latcs1.lat.oz.au (Jonathan Burns) Newsgroups: sci.nanotech Subject: Re: diamonds? Message-ID: Date: 12 Apr 91 21:20:05 GMT Sender: nanotech@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Comp Sci, La Trobe Uni, Australia Lines: 19 Approved: nanotech@aramis.rutgers.edu I have wondered if a Graphite Assembler might not be an early nanotoy. I imagine something with an adhesive tongue, which wanders over the surface of an unstructured mass of graphite (e.g. soot), peels off a flake of the substance a few layers of atoms thick and a hundred wide, then lays it down flat on an existing surface, as if doing a jigsaw. Considering the tensile strength of pyrolytically-produced graphite fibres, this kind of thing might be surprisingly useful, especially if doped for electronic or optical activity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jonathan Burns | It's a bonanza when Veronica plays piannica burns@latcs1.oz | On my granda-momma's oldio piazzica Computer Science Dept | With the whistle of the B and O La Trobe University | Booting out a obligatti-gattigo! - LaFemme et Owl, '51 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~