History Main / SharpenedToASingleAtom

* While not ''quite'' as far as a single atom, knapped obsidian blades are a small and measurable number of molecules in thickness. And while diamond is the harder material, obsidian can be made ''sharper''. The greatest of care should be used in handling obsidian knives and arrow points etc because they can remain truly Absurdly Sharp even centuries after being made and will cut you badly with even the slightest touch. The drawback of course is that being basically an exotic form of glass, they wear out quickly in use.

* ''Film/AlitaBattleAngel'': Zapan carries the Damascus blade, an ancient weapon that is honed to a mono-molecular edge. [[spoiler: Zapan experiences it first-hand when Alita takes it from him and slices his face off. It continues to holds up to the hype throughout the movie when she just cuts through everything and everyone. She can make it even sharper by infusing it with plasma from her cyborg body.]]

* Zapan in ''Film/Alita: Battle Angel'' carries the Damascus blade, an ancient weapon that is honed to a mono-molecular edge. [[spoiler: Zapan experiences it first-hand when Alita takes it from him and slices his face off. It continues to holds up to the hype throughout the movie when she just cut through everything and everyone. She can make it even sharper by infusing it with plasma from her cyborg body. ]]

** Graphene monolayer is found to be toxic because the jagged edges they form can pierce cell membrane [[https://archive.is/LOsqS easily]].

* Knapped obsidian blades are a small and measurable number of molecules in thickness. And while diamond is the harder material, obsidian can be made ''sharper''. The greatest of care should be used in handling obsidian knives and arrow points etc because they can remain truly Absurdly Sharp even centuries after being made and will cut you badly with even the slightest touch. The drawback of course is that being basically an exotic form of glass, they wear out quickly in use.

** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2502 SCP-2502 ("Be Sharp")]]. SCP-2502 is a compact disc whose edge has zero thickness. When its edge encounters matter it cuts through it like a hot knife through butter. After passing through matter for a while it will eventually slow to a stop due to friction.

** Most combat blades have an edge one molecule thick. This includes combat knives, swords, some types of ammunition, etc. Such blades are quite commonplace in their armies. They're no more effective at punching through armour for it, however, unless you're playing ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy''. In it (and other Fantasy Flight Games' 40k [=RPGs=]), melee weapons can be upgraded to have monomolecular edges, increasing their armour penetration. In most of the games this can only be done on bladed and [[ChainsawGood chain]] weapons, but early editions of ''Dark Heresy'' didn't have this limitation, allowing you to create monomolecular hammers and staves. However, the rules stated that an alternative explanation had to be given for the increased penetrative power; there were no monomolecular hammers or staves, they just functioned the same with a different name given to the technology behind it. These blades are so treasured by the Imperium that a pair of PDF scouts who found an Standard Template Construct printout detailing how to manufacture cheaper and stronger mono-molecular blades were rewarded with a '''planet, each'''.

** Most combat blades have an edge one molecule thick. This includes combat knives, swords, some types of ammunition, etc. Such blades are quite commonplace in their armies. They're no more effective at punching through armour for it, however, unless you're playing ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy''. In it (and other Fantasy Flight Games' 40k [=RPGs=]), melee weapons can be upgraded to have monomolecular edges, increasing their armour penetration. In most of the games this can only be done on bladed and [[ChainsawGood chain]] weapons, but early editions of ''Dark Heresy'' didn't have this limitation, allowing you to create monomolecular hammers and staves. However, the rules stated that an alternative explanation had to be given for the increased penetrative power; there were no monomolecular hammers or staves, they just functioned the same with a different name given to the technology behind it.

* In ''Man of the Ice Garden'', Vuko Drakkainen, a visitor from future Earth to a primitive planet, uses a Nordland Aeronautics shinobi ken sword with monomolecular blade. He once made a swing at a "monster" and accidentally cut through the ceiling without even noticing until some of its parts fell down. He also accidently cut through the dog, which hit the ground [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe twice]].

*** Harlequin units have a weapon called The Harlequin's Kiss, which is a hundred metre long monomolecular wire, delivered in a neat bundled package with a punch, at which point it unfurls, liquifies the target's internal organs, and then snaps back into the delivery device.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Infinity}}'' has monofilament as an ammunition type that is issued almost exclusively to the elite troops of every army. They're not exactly common, but have a nasty effect: anything they hit, if it fails an armor roll, is [[OneHitKill instantly destroyed and removed from the table]], regardless of it's remaining [[HitPoints wounds or structure]]. This includes [[MiniMecha TAGs]], named characters, any {{One Man Army}} that might be around. It's {{hand wave}}d in the background as being stabilized through an EM field.

* The variable sword used in the ''Literature/KnownSpace'' stories of Creator/LarryNiven is a length of monomolecular wire held straight by a projected stasis field. There's a little red ball at the end of the wire so the wielder can tell where the otherwise invisible "blade" ends. There's also Sinclair molecule chain, used as ramship tow cable, that's essentially the same thing with no stasis field.
** ''The Descent of Anansi'', also by Creator/LarryNiven features another monofilament cable where, in effect, a space shuttle is lowered to Earth on a cable. At one point one of the baddies drifts into the cable and realises that it is already inside the faceplate of his spacesuit by the time he notices anything.

** [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-314 SCP-314 ("Motion-Seeking Blade")]] The blade is described as "sharpened to a molecular level".
** [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-608 SCP-608 ("Fractal Tinsel").]] SCP-608 is a fractal with infinitely and progressively smaller branches radiating from it. Branches of monofilament size and smaller can slice through other substances at a molecular or even atomic level.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1320 SCP-1320 ("Refractive Explorers").]] SCP-1320 have extremities that are sharpened to a thickness of a few dozen nanometers. They can use them to cut through solid objects at a molecular level.

** In a couple of the ''Literature/RingWorld'' novels, one of the 'strings' that held the shadow squares that provided a day/night cycle to the Ringworld had been broken and eventually fell to the surface, where it was described as a foggy cloud that minced anything that touched it. One of the main characters is decapitated ([[HeGotBetter It's ok, he had a spare head, as well as spare parts in storage]]) when the natives found the end spool and strung some of the wire up as a trap.

* The variable sword used in the ''Literature/KnownSpace'' stories of Creator/LarryNiven is a length of monomolecular wire held straight by a projected stasis field. There's a little red ball at the end of the wire so the wielder can tell where the otherwise invisible "blade" ends.

* ''The Fountains Of Paradise'' by ArthurCClarke has something very similar to this, but, [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness Clarke being Clarke, it is depicted in a manner closer to scientific reality]] than most examples on this page. Construction of a SpaceElevator becomes a realistic possibility after the development of a process to manufacture a "pseudo-one-dimensional diamond crystal" a few microns thick in continuous lengths, forming invisible fibres of enormous tensile strength. Its main application is as a tension member (of course), not as a weapon, though much attention is given to the handling difficulties and dangers of such a material. Its sharpness is also reasonably realistic--it is extremely sharp, but not [[AbsurdlySharpBlade absurdly so]]--it can easily cause severe wounds through mere inattention to handling, but to deliberately cut down a tree with it takes a couple of minutes, and the length of time it takes to cut through a metal fastening with it is an important element at one point in the story.

* ''Literature/TheDarkSideOfTheSun'' features a monomolecular blade (which shatters when swung against a villain gifted with luck manipulation).

* ''Literature/TheDarkSideOfTheSun'' by Terry Pratchett features a monomolecular blade (which shatters when swung against a villain gifted with luck manipulation).
** They came up again in his ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series - both Death's scythe and sword have edges one molecule thick. Thinner, in fact - they glow blue because of the energy released when they cut the air apart.

* In ''[[Literature/TheShipWho The City Who Fought]]'' by Creator/AnneMcCaffrey and Creator/SMStirling, Joat lays a trap using monomolecular wire. The effects are messy.

** Many Aztec weapons had obsidian blades or points. The macuahuitl is a wooden sword with the blade made out of obsidian shards. According to Spanish accounts, a single blow from a macuahuitl can decapitate a horse. When they tested it out on DeadliestWarrior, it decapitated the model-horse in three hits and [[LudicrousGibs left a pretty big mess.]]

** Obsidian can be made up to 100 times sharper than steel (the cutting edge can be reduced to 3 nanometers thick). According to TheOtherWiki, "even the sharpest metal knife has a jagged, irregular blade when viewed under a strong enough microscope; when examined even under an electron microscope an obsidian blade is still smooth and even." For surgical application, the blades are so sharp that in certain circumstances, no anesthetic is necessary to make the cut. [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sswf3heCoxg/T_nNlzq2F0I/AAAAAAAARNU/F05SmCWV34A/s1600/obsidian+razor.png (See here)]]

* A manual for ''Franchise/StarCraft'' states that Ultralisk blades are monomolecular. This seems to be a case of a writer simply getting carried away with RuleOfCool, as there is no indication elsewhere that this is actually the case. For one the blades are absolutely massive, and look more designed for smashing than slicing, and having monomolecular blades implies a degree of finesse the ultralisk certainly lacks. Apparently other writers agree, as depictions of ultralisks mostly show them smashing enemies aside with their blades, rather than slicing right through them as would be the case if their blades really were that sharp.

** Blades like this make an appearance in the novel ''Specter of the Past'' by TimothyZahn, in the form of the Xana "molecular stiletto." Depicted somewhat realistically, in that it's described as being capable of cutting through almost anything, but is extremely delicate, with even the carefully executed cutting of a hard surface (such as a lock) being as likely as not to ruin the blade.

* In ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'', Harry's early experimentation with transfiguration includes the creation of monomolecular wire, made up of braided carbon nanotubes. [[spoiler:He uses it in the climactic confrontation to remove the Death Eaters' heads and Lord Voldemort's hands (which are holding his wand and gun), as actually killing Voldemort is contraindicated by his large number of inaccessible horcruxes.]]

[[folder:Other Sites]]
* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation''
** [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-314 SCP-314 ("Motion-Seeking Blade")]] The blade is described as "sharpened to a molecular level".
** [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-608 SCP-608 ("Fractal Tinsel").]] SCP-608 is a fractal with infinitely and progressively smaller branches radiating from it. Branches of monofilament size and smaller can slice through other substances at a molecular or even atomic level.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1320 SCP-1320 ("Refractive Explorers").]] SCP-1320 have extremities that are sharpened to a thickness of a few dozen nanometers. They can use them to cut through solid objects at a molecular level.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-585 SCP-585 ("Sharpeners")]] can do this to pencils. After 100 rotations, the point is so thin it ''splits atoms''.
[[/folder]]

* In ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' WonderWoman has a sword that is sharp enough to "carve the electrons off an atom". Leaving aside the ways that doesn't actually make sense, it suggests a blade with an edge thinner than an atom. {{Superman}} accidentally cuts himself on the blade.

* The variable sword used in the ''Literature/KnownSpace'' stories of Larry Niven is a length of monomolecular wire held straight by a projected stasis field. There's a little red ball at the end of the wire so the wielder can tell where the otherwise invisible "blade" ends.

* ''The Descent of Anansi'' by Larry Niven features another monofilament cable where, in effect, a space shuttle is lowered to Earth on a cable. At one point one of the baddies drifts into the cable and realises that it is already inside the faceplate of his spacesuit by the time he notices anything.