cyclodextrin

Ring-shaped glucose molecule chain created in 1993 at Osaka University, Japan. Cyclodextrins are commonly used in food additives, and can also be used as capsules to deliver drugs, as cutters to separate ions and molecules, and as catalysts for chemical reactions.

They generally consist of 6–8 glucose molecules linked together in a ring, leaving a central hole of 0.45–0.8 nanometres, which can hold a small molecule such as benzene. They can be joined together to form tubes even smaller than DNA, the length and width of which can be controlled. They could hypothetically be used in the production of large scale integrated computer systems.