One of the problems facing the burgeoning field of nanotechnology is the assembly of nanoscale pieces into something functional. While nanoparticles are teeming with uses from cancer research to radiation treatment, complex machines and circuitry are falling behind due to the inelegance of nanoassembly.

One way scientists are hoping to overcome the challenge of building nanoscale devices is to have the pieces assemble themselves. University of Warwick researchers recently pioneered a technique to have carbon nanotubes assemble themselves in a haphazard line across a silicon insulating wafer, creating tiny ultramicroelectrodes that could be used in various branches of science and production. But the UMEs are not complex devices; such simple circuits may not go far in producing complex nanomachinery.

Researchers, led by Dr. Ernesto Joselevich, at the Weizmann Institute have been experimenting with self-assembling nanostructures using the popular carbon nanotube. Carbon nanotubes are not easy to produce in usable forms. Joselevich's team used an approach known as “order through chaos” on groups of nanotubes and were successful in producing complex structures.

“It may seem paradoxical – trying to create order through chaos – but in fact, this a common phenomenon on the macroscale. Systems affected by forces that fluctuate from one extreme to another tend to self-organize into much more complexly ordered structures than those in which the external forces are ‘calm.’ We applied this principle at the nanoscale to see if it would have the same effect, and indeed, it did,” said Joselevich in a press release.

Their nanotubes formed complex structures dubbed “serpentines” for their snake-like or looped configuration. Serpentine type structures are commonly used in cooling and heating elements as well as transmission and reception device components like antennas. Structures of this shape at the nanoscale could be used in relatively the same ways, but on a scale of much smaller proportions.

The group has published a short video showing how the nanotubes form serpentine configurations, it can be found at YouTube.