Nano-Toy Story
 
   All chemists love their toys, whether it's an upgraded modelling program, the latest spectrometer, or a laptop to take to conferences.
   In a recent coup, Chad Mirkin (Northwestern University, Illinois) reported the development of a 'nano-pen'. Tipped as a breakthrough which could, in the not-too-distant future, create electronic circuits far more compact than any today, the nano-pen has enormous potential.
   It 'writes' on 'paper' (flat gold surfaces), using a standard Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) tip as the 'nib' of the pen.

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