No longer only the stuff of science fiction, BuckyTubes, the colloquial name for structures more commonly referred to as carbon nanotubes, were discovered in 1991 by Japanese researcher Sumio Iijima while peering at soot with an electron microscope. While the commercial use of nanotubes in integrated circuits is still at the research stage in 2005, this technology plays an increasingly important role in the manufacture of flat screen displays. 

These units, called field emission displays, or FEDs, use cathode ray tube technology utilizing tightly-packed carbon nanotubes as the source of electrons for the beam. Carbon nanotubes have the special property of accelerating particles along their lengths so they can emit electrons with enough energy to excite phosphors with lower voltage and heat than the beam sources used in traditional CRTs.

FEDs will likely be available for sale in late 2006 and may subvert the popularity of LED displays because of their faster response time, superior image definition and lower power consumption.
 
BuckyTubes, BuckyBalls (Buckminsterfullerene aka C60) and Bucky toruses weren't actually discovered by Richard BuckminsterFuller, but are referred to as such because of their resemblance to the icosahedral geometry intrinsic to the late architect's geodesic shelter constructions. 

See article about the naming of C60 Buckminsterfullerene at
http://www.4dsolutions.net/synergetica/eja1.html


As carbon nanotubes occupy an increasingly larger role in the manufacture of integrated circuits and displays, will R. Buckminster Fuller ultimately be immortalized by a carbon structure that he had no part in discovering, rather than for his own unique contributions to design and architecture? 
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http://www.cnanotech.com/pages/resources_and_news/gallery/3-2_buckytube_gallery.html
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CategoryNanotechnology , CategoryHardware