When a beam of electrons hits a carbon nanotube, some carbon atoms are knocked away, causing the remaining atoms to contract and the tube to shrink. When the tube is filled with even incredibly hard substances like iron carbide, the contraction squeezes the substance out as ultra-thin wires.

Full story at:
http://nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=106780

Praise:
“Looks great to me! You are a very talented artist. I wish we had someone here to do illustrations; they can add so much value to the story.”

--Jason Gorss
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute