Biological systems, Haworth notes, ''know when to switch various functions on and off. To find the answers, materials wizards are using exotic tools such as scanning-probe microscopes with supersharp tips. These not only trace the outlines of individual atoms but also move them around to explore how nanosize elements fit together. These are elongated versions of the carbon buckyballs discovered in 1985 by Richard E. Smalley, a professor of physics and chemistry at Rice University. The discovery earned Smalley a Nobel Prize in 1996.
Nanotubes are truly wonder molecules.
Moreover, nanotubes can conduct heat and electricity far better than copper, so reinforcing strands could do double duty as computer circuits, creating the nervous system for ''smart'' materials. Or they could serve as heat pipes to keep composite-plastics parts cool enough to be used in engines. These new molecules extend the performance of organic materials to unprecedented levels. But inorganic substances still offer many advantages. Organic materials, on the other hand, are typically soft and rubbery.