New material could make buildings that move and other wonders

Imagine a building that had windows that opened and closed without your help — and without motors — to keep a room at its optimal temperature. Or paper with ink that carried an electric charge. Both concepts sound crazy, but they're made possible with "NanoINK," a substance currently in development.

The secret of the NanoINK, created by New York-based research firm Decker Yeadon, is its use of carbon nano-tubes. At least, that's what text from Decker Yeadon claims:

The ink that they made primarily consists of carbon nanotubes, deionized water, and a chemical surfactant that helps the nanotubes disperse in the water… Their NanoINK was used to impart the electrical properties of the nanotubes onto substrates that they coated with the ink, including cotton fabric and paper. The work opens up a number of possibilities for applications, in architecture and other design disciplines, that might take advantage of the printable, conductive ink.

Now, you won't be able to charge your cellphone with a piece of paper or anything, but right now it looks like the folks at Decker Yeadon have figured out how to get an LED powered with just the ink. Books with built-in reading lights? Sounds like a whopper on an idea!

Check below for a video demonstration of the nano-ink in action.