A new algorithm helps engineers tackle the seemingly impossible task of selecting the right raw materials for nanoscale construction. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania set out to design proteins that could wrap around single-walled carbon nanotubes. Consisting of a cylindrical pattern of carbon atoms tens of thousands of times thinner than a human hair, nanotubes are enticing to nanoengineers as they are extraordinarily strong and could be useful as platform for other nanostructures.
