Diamonds are a scientist's best friend: Research into building
better small machines Do diamonds really last forever? That's
the hope of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers who are
trying to solve the problems associated with building extremely
small machines and having them withstand the test of time, wear
and tear. The problem is that these machines are so small —
microscopic or smaller — that their moving parts cannot be
assisted by lubricants; instead, they have to function in a dry
state, like a car with no oil. A really, really small car with
no oil. "They no longer behave in the same way as they do at the
macro-scale, where materials may be far stronger, have more
power to catalyze chemical reactions, be more optically
responsive, and more," says Rob Carpick, associate professor of
engineering physics. "That is why it is very interesting to
study the fundamental physics of nanoscale materials and also to
try to utilize these unique properties for real applications."
An example of a real applica