Nanoglue is 100,000 times thinner than a human hair and could potentially help make extremely tiny computer chips, according to U.S. researchers. Developed by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, nanoglue is made from ultrathin materials that are already commercially available. "It is really mind-boggling to think about a single layer of molecules improving the adhesion of something. Our work shows the possibility of having organic-based nanolayers that are about a 1,000 times thinner than the thinnest organic-based glues. Nature does most of it for you. You just have to put the right thing on the top and the right thing on the bottom and it will work," said materials science researcher Ganapathiraman Ramanath.
With a backbone of carbon molecules, the glue chain lines up in very orderly fashion all on its own. On one end of the chain is silica and oxygen while on the other is sulphur, which act as hooks that bind with other surfaces. Ramanath topped off the chain with a thin layer of copper that acts as a protective coating that helps keep the molecules intact. As well, when heated to 750 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, the copper and silica formed a strong chemical bond and the glue became five to seven times stronger. Ramanath and his team are seeking a patent for the material as the cost, at $35 per 100 grams, would make it a fairly cheap commercial option.