© 1999 Robert A. Freitas Jr. All Rights Reserved.

Robert A. Freitas Jr., Nanomedicine, Volume I: Basic Capabilities, Landes Bioscience, Georgetown, TX, 1999

5.3.2.3 Telescoping Model

Metamorphic surfaces using the Telescoping Model (Fig. 5.14) consist of nested, tight-fitting congruent shapes or blocks under tension fitted tightly into sleeves. The surface expands as progressively smaller segments telescope out from the main body. Typical configurations might include nested annular cylinders, sliding "dominoes" (tethered blocks), the "trombone" (sleeved blocks), or even a multisegment approach. In nature, centipedes, worms, and wasps with extended thoraxes use tubular segments to achieve flexible surfaces.

Given the many sliding interfaces and higher pressures involved, telescoping surfaces should be carefully designed to preclude possible surface oxidation. At high enough pressures sliding diamondoid plates may strip each other's passivating hydrogens, allowing newly exposed carbon atoms in the contacting surfaces to weld the plates tight; unpassivated graphene sheets (Section 5.3.2.4) may be optimal for this configuration.

Last updated on 18 February 2003