NanoTubes are traditionally cylindrical Carbon molecules with properties that make them potentially useful in extremely small scale electronic and mechanical applications. They exhibit unusual strength and unique electrical properties, and are efficient conductors of heat.
Scientists Prab Bandaru and colleagues at the UC San Diego, and Apparao Rao, of Clemson University, have now crafted such nanotubes in the shape of a 'Y', which could revolutionise the computer industry, as the nanotubes are easily made and act as remarkably efficient electronic transistors:).

'Y' transistor (Courtesy: New Scientist)Experiments show that applying a voltage to the stem of the Y precisely controls the flow of electrons through the other two branches. The switching capacity of these nanostructures is, in comparable to that of today's silicon transistors.
But whereas current silicon transistors have been shrunk to around 100 nanometres, the Y-shaped nanotubes measure just tens of nanometres in size. Eventually, they could even be shrunk to just a few nanometres, the researchers suggest:D:D.