Nanotechnology comprises any technological developments on the
nanometer scale, usually 0.1 to 100 nm. (One nanometer equals one thousandth of a
micrometer or one millionth of a millimeter.) The term has sometimes been applied to any microscopic technology.
The term nanotechnology is often used interchangeably with molecular nanotechnology (also known as "MNT"), a hypothetical, advanced form of nanotechnology
believed to be achievable at some point in the future. Molecular nanotechnology includes the concept of mechanosynthesis. The
term nanoscience is used to describe the interdisciplinary field of science
devoted to the advancement of nanotechnology.
The size scale of nanotechnology yields to quantum-based phenomena, which yields often counterintuitive results. These
nanoscale phenomena include quantum size effects and molecular
forces such as van der Waals forces. Furthermore, the vastly
increased ratio of surface area to volume opens new possibilities in surface-based science, such as catalysis.
The device density of modern computer components (i.e. the number of transistors per unit area) continues to grow
exponentially, but fundamental electronic limitations prevent the trend of Moore's law to continue. Current estimates predict ten to fifteen years of continued improvement before
economic costs grow exponentially. Nanotechnology is seen as the next logical step for continued advances in computational
architecture.
History
The first mention of nanotechnology (not yet using that name) occurred in a talk given by Richard Feynman in 1959, entitled There's Plenty of Room at the
Bottom. Feynman suggested a means to develop the ability to manipulate atoms and molecules "directly", by developing a
set of one-tenth-scale machine tools analogous to those found in any machine shop. These small tools would then help to develop
and operate a next generation of one-hundredth-scale machine tools, and so forth. As the sizes get smaller, we would have to
redesign some tools because the relative strength of various forces would change. Gravity would become less important, surface tension would become more important, van der Waals attraction would become important, etc. Feynman mentioned these scaling issues during his
talk. Nobody has yet effectively refuted the feasibility of his proposal.
The term 'Nanotechnology' was created by Tokyo Science University professor Norio Taniguchi in 1974 to describe the precision
manufacture of materials with nanometre tolerances. In the 1980s the term was reinvented
and its definition expanded by K Eric Drexler, particularly in his
1986 book Engines of
Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology. He explored this subject in much greater technical depth in his MIT doctoral
dissertation, later expanded into Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation [1] (http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/nanosystems.html). Computational methods play a key role in the
field today because nanotechnologists can use them to design and simulate a wide range of molecular systems.
Early discussions of nanotechnology involved the notion of a general-purpose assembler with a broad range of capability to
build different molecular structures. The possibility of self-replication, the idea that assemblers could build more assemblers,
suggests that nanotechnology could reduce the price of many physical goods by several orders of magnitude. Self-replication is
also the basis for the grey goo scenario. More recent thinking has focused instead
on a more factory-oriented approach (http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/convergent.html) to construction. The smallest elements of a
product would be built on assembly lines, then assembled into progressively larger assemblies until the final product is
complete.
A cut-away view of a desktop nanofactory (artist's rendition): http://www.foresight.org/Images/DesktopFactory400x386.jpg
New materials, devices, technologies
As science becomes more sophisticated it naturally enters the realm of what is arbitrarily labelled nanotechnology. The
essence of nanotechnology is that as we scale things down they start to take on extremely novel properties. Nanoparticles
(clusters at nanometre scale), for example, have very interesting properties and are proving extremely useful as catalysts and in
other uses. If we ever do make nanobots, they will not be scaled down versions of contemporary robots. It is the same scaling
effects that make nanodevices so special that prevent this. Nanoscaled devices will bear much stronger resemblance to nature's
nanodevices: proteins, DNA, membranes etc. Supramolecular assemblies are a good example of this.
One fundamental characteristic of nanotechnology is that nanodevices self-assemble. That is, they build themselves from the
bottom up. Scanning probe microscopy is an
important technique both for characterization and synthesis of nanomaterials. Atomic force microscopes and scanning tunneling microscopes can be used to look at surfaces and to move atoms around. By
designing different tips for these microscopes, they can be used for carving out structures on surfaces and to help guiding
self-assembling structures. Atoms can be moved around on a surface with scanning probe microscopy techniques, but it is
cumbersome, expensive and very time-consuming, and for these reasons it is quite simply not feasible to construct nanoscaled
devices atom by atom. You don't want to assemble a billion transistors into a microchip by taking an hour to place each
transistor, but these techniques can be used for things like helping guide self-assembling systems.
One of the problems facing nanotechnology is how to assemble atoms and molecules into smart materials and working devices.
Supramolecular chemistry is here a very important
tool. Supramolecular chemistry is the chemistry beyond the molecule, and molecules are being designed to self-assemble into larger structures. In this case, biology is a place to find
inspiration: cells and their pieces are made from self-assembling biopolymers such as proteins and protein complexes. One of the things being explored is synthesis of organic molecules by adding them
to the ends of complementary DNA strands such as ----A and ----B, with molecules A and B attached to the end; when these are put
together, the complementary DNA strands hydrogen bonds into a double helix, ====AB, and the DNA molecule can be removed to
isolate the product AB.
Natural or man-made particles or artefacts often have qualities and capabilities quite different from their macroscopic
counterparts. Gold, for example, which is chemically inert at normal scales, can serve as a
potent chemical catalyst at nanoscales.
"Nanosize" powder particles (a few nanometres in diameter, also called nano-particles) are potentially important in ceramics,
powder metallurgy, the achievement of uniform nanoporosity, and similar applications. The strong tendency of small particles to
form clumps ("agglomerates") is a serious technological problem that impedes such applications. However, a few dispersants such
as ammonium citrate (aqueous) and imidazoline or oleyl alcohol (nonaqueous) are promising additives for deagglomeration. (Those
materials are discussed in "Organic Additives And Ceramic Processing," by D. J. Shanefield, Kluwer Academic Publ., Boston.)
In October 2004, researchers at The University Of Manchester succeeded in forming a small piece of material only 1 atom thick
called graphene.[2]
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15499015)
Robert Freitas has suggested that graphene might be used as a
deposition surface for a diamandoid mechanosynthesis tool.[3] (http://www.molecularassembler.com/Papers/PathDiamMolMfg.htm)
Radical nanotechnology
Radical nanotechnology is a term given to sophisticated nanoscale machines operating on the molecular scale[4] (http://www.softmachines.org/wordpress/index.php?cat=3). By the countless examples found in
biology it is currently known that radical nanotechnology would be possible to construct. Many scientists today belive that it is
likely that evolution has made optimized biological nanomachines with close to optimal performance possible for nanoscale
machines, and that radical nanotechnology thus would need to made by biomimetic
principles. However, it has been suggested by K Eric Drexler that
radical nanotechnology can be made by mechanical engineering like principles. Drexler's idea of a diamondoid molecular nanotechnology is currently controversial and it
remains to be seen what future developments will bring.
Potential risks
An often cited worst-case scenario is the so-called "grey goo", a substance into
which the surface objects of the earth might be transformed by self-replicating nano-robots running amok, a process which has
been termed global ecophagy. Defenders point out that smaller objects
are more susceptible to damage from radiation and heat (due to greater surface area-to-volume ratios): nanomachines would quickly
fail when exposed to harsh climates. More realistic are criticisms that point to the potential toxicity of new classes of nanosubstances that could adversely affect the stability of cell walls or disturb the immune system when
inhaled or digested [5] (http://www.nanomedicine.com/NMIIA.htm). Objective risk assessment can profit from the bulk of
experience with long-known microscopic materials like carbon soot or asbestos fibres.
Nanotechnology in fiction
In movies and TV series:
In Manga:
In video games:
In books:
Topics
External links
References
- Daniel J. Shanefield (1996). Organic Additives And Ceramic Processing. Klunwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 0792397657.
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