Nicholas Kotov in his lab at the University of Michigan, where he makes carbon-nanotube-treated textiles like the one in his right hand. Credit: Fabrizio Costantini

Elegance is as important in scientific design as it is in art and architecture, chemical engineer Nicholas Kotov believes. Sitting in his austere office at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, he shows off a swatch of black cotton; in heft and feel it's similar to a soft, lightweight dress shirt. But Kotov has transformed the fabric into a biosensor and an electrical conductor simply by dipping it into a solution of carbon nanotubes, antibodies, and a polymer.

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