Boron nanotubes beat carbon at its own game

If 2007 was the year of the carbon nanotube, it looks like 2008 could be the year for boron nanotubes to shine. Carbon nanotubes have been sprouting up in all sorts of tech that requires strong building blocks and fast electronics at the microscopic scale, but boron nanotubes, which were discovered in 2004, are looking even better at electronics, while matching carbon in the strength department. Researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China have proved in simulation that the boron nanotubes can have variable electrical properties, which could make boron the jack of all trades at the nano scale, but that's about as far as we go with this whole "science" thing. Bill Nye would be so disappointed in us.

[abadtooth @ Jan 6th 2008 4:13AM]

I miss Bill Nye.. used to watch him all the time :\

[SimbaDogg @ Jan 6th 2008 4:14PM]

i second that...being all grown up now, even if he came out w/ a show that was oriented to kids like his old PBS show, i'd still watch it

[Chuckles McGee @ Jan 6th 2008 5:10AM]

Too bad boron's a bit more toxic than carbon. Oh wells, it'll be insulated, right?

[engaget_Robin @ Jan 6th 2008 7:43AM]

Molten Boron! Nobody doesn't like Molten Boron!

[GrepZen @ Jan 7th 2008 3:04AM]

"These tubes are entirely too small to pass internet traffic." ... Sen Ted Stevens(D)AK

[markwilliams4 @ Jan 7th 2008 6:31AM]

Carbon NanoTubes = CNTs
Boron NanoTubes = BNTs
Bismuth NanoTubes = BiNTs
Copper NanoTubes = ?

[macona @ Jan 7th 2008 5:34PM]

Nice...

Or Plutonium NanoTubes?

[steve @ Jan 7th 2008 9:29PM]

Or how about
Gold NanoTube's Copper Nano Tubes