The prospective future of geminis and the potential application of Gemini surfactants in the nanoscale technology, biotechnology and enhanced oil recovery have also been prognosticated.

IBM seeks better ways to assemble microchip components at the nanoscale without the need to replace existing chip-making technology.

However, when it comes to nanoscale manufacturing, Knoll and colleagues claim they can operate their probe technology at speeds that are close to matching EBL - and potentially with greater precision.