Monomolecular wire is a type of wire consisting of a single strand of strongly bonded atoms or molecules, such as

carbon nanotube A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a tube made of carbon with a diameter in the nanometre range ( nanoscale). They are one of the allotropes of carbon. Two broad classes of carbon nanotubes are recognized: * ''Single-walled carbon nanotubes'' (''S ...

In science

Organic molecular wires have been proposed for use in

optoelectronics Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radi ...

In fiction

Among the earliest descriptions of a super-strong filament are the film ''

The Man in the White Suit ''The Man in the White Suit'' is a 1951 British satirical science fiction comedy film made by Ealing Studios. It stars Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker and was directed by Alexander Mackendrick. The film was nominated for an ...

'', in which a scientist develops a monofilament cloth fibre that will never wear out, and Theodore Sturgeon's "The Incubi of Parallel X" (Planet Stories, Sep 1951), where a "molecularly condensed fibre" is used as a zipline. An early example of a material similar to monomolecular wire deliberately used as a weapon and cutting tool is "

borazon Borazon is a brand name of a cubic form of boron nitride (cBN). Its color ranges from black to brown and gold. It is one of the hardest known materials, along with various forms of diamond and other kinds of boron nitride. Borazon is a crystal cre ...

-tungsten filament" in G. Randall Garrett's "Thin Edge". (Analog, Dec 1963) The main character uses a strand from an asteroid towing-cable to cut jail bars and to booby-trap the door of his room. Many later writers, including John Brunner,

Frank Herbert Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science-fiction author, best known for his 1965 novel Dune (novel), ''Dune'' and its five sequels. He also wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, ...

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ear ...

and

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948) also known by the initials G.R.R.M. is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the unfinished series of Hi ...

, have also used monomolecular or similar wire as a weapon or tool. Perhaps the best-known proposed use of monomolecular wire ("hyperfilament") is in the cables of a space elevator. Although there were a few earlier scientific papers suggesting the concept, a fully realized space elevator was first described in 1979 in Arthur Clarke's '' The Fountains of Paradise'' and Charles Sheffield's '' The Web Between the Worlds''. The concept has been used in later fiction by Robert A. Heinlein, Iain M. Banks,

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His 1970 novel ''Ringworld'' won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus, Ditmar Award, Ditmar, and Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula award ...

and others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monomolecular Wire Fictional technology Wire Allotropes of carbon Carbon nanotubes Transparent electrodes Refractory materials