Nanoscale Science

From Success Stories in Scientific Visualization Wiki

Visualization played a large part in a series of carbon nanotube studies. The ability to rapidly explore hypotheses with immediate visual analysis of results led to fundamental new understanding in nanoscale bending and buckling and to the demonstration of atoms acting as gear teeth, atomic-lattice interlocking controlling how electrons flow between nanoscale parts, and nanoscale torsional coupling. Coupling the visualization into a direct-manipulation control system allows the performance of pilot experiments in minutes that used to take days.

The nanoManipulator system shown at the upper right enables one to directly see and touch nanometer-scale objects and get realtime qualitative analysis coupled to offline quantitative analysis. This tool and others like it have enabled rapid progress in biomedical and materials science.

This collaborative effort led to fifteen publications in physics on top of those in visualization. The multidisciplinary author lists indicate the level of intellectual involvement of the entire team.

S. Paulson, A. Helser, M. Buongiorno Nardelli, R.M. Taylor II, M. Falvo, R. Superfine, and S. Washburn, "Tunable resistance of a carbon nanotube-graphite interface," Science, Vol. 290, pp. 1742-1744, 2000.

"Nanometre-scale rolling and sliding of carbon nanotubes," Nature, Vol. 397, No. 6716, pp. 236-238, 1999.

"Bending and buckling of carbon nanotubes under large strain," Nature, Vol. 389, No. 6651, pp. 582-584, October 9, 1997.