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Creating nano-scale test tubes starts with this molecule - triangular-shaped melamine

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Melamine must be combined with this - a rectangular-shaped derivative of perylene.

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This is what the two chemicals look like, with melamine on the right

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They are put together and heated in this �250,000 machine

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The chemicals bond like this

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They create a honeycomb structure with the gaps in the middle acting as tiny test tubes about 20 atoms in diameter

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This is what the honeycomb looks like through a high-powered microscope