"What is the modulus of elasticity of a carbon nanotube?" That's the question I was confronted with today in a presentation I made to some university faculty about future applications of nanomaterials.

I explained that the elasticity is determined by the configuration of the nanotubes. The questioner insisted that materials have well-defined elastic properties that can't be altered. I said that's true of conventional materials like wood, steel and glass, but nanotechnology enables us to design materials in new ways and define properties like elasticity (and strength, conductivity, absorption, and much more).

But this faculty member just couldn't get beyond the conventional wisdom that materials have inherent, unalterable properties we have no control over. Conservative, conventional viewpoints like his will make life interesting for anyone looking to implement new nanomaterials with unconventional properties in the marketplace. Nanomaterials just don't do what we're used to. And no matter how remarkable their properties may be, their application will face resistance from those who say, "It can't be done!"