The strongest nanofibers appear

Scientists say they have created the strongest nanowires ever, reaching the theoretical limit they have set.

Nanofibers can be used in highly sensitive tuners. (Photo: ABC Online)

Yarn is 1,000 times smaller than human hair, and if it is 1 cm in diameter is enough to lift 16 African elephants.

"The optimal power we get is the highest for any semiconductor material and reaches a theoretical limit," said Professor John Sader of the University of Melbourne in Australia. "It shows that the nanofibres are almost perfect materials."

Experts say such nanowires can be used as mechanical electronics such as environmental sensors or ultra-precision watches.

Nanofibres are made up of germanium, which has tin-like chemical properties. They created the material on a gold nanocrystalline surface, allowing germanium to be nucleated and developed. After testing, they found that it could be bent and stretched more than any of the previously created nanofibers, withstanding 15 gigapascals before rebounding. While many other semiconductor nanowires bend at only 15% of the theoretical limit. If the wire is 1 cm in diameter, it can lift to 100 tons without breaking.

This elasticity will be applied in high-safety nano-devices and theoretically, no stronger nanofibres can be produced.

MT