Transcript Document
8. What are
its costs &
benefits?
You are here
5. How does
it change?
1. What is it?
9. How do we
evaluate it?
6. How does
it change us?
2. Why do we
use it?
7. How do we
change it?
3. Where
does it come
from?
0. Introduction
4. How does
it work?
The Scale of Things – Nanometers and More
Things Natural
Things Manmade
10-2 m
10-3 m
200 mm
Fly ash
~ 10-20 mm
Microworl
d
10-4 m
-5
10 m
Red blood cells
with white cell
~ 2-5 mm
The Challenge
1,000,000 nanometers =
1 millimeter (mm)
MicroElectroMechanical
(MEMS) devices
10 -100 mm wide
0.1 mm
100 mm
O
P
O
0.01 mm
10 mm
Infrared
Dust mite
Human hair
~ 60-120 mm wide
Head of a pin
1-2 mm
Microwave
Ant
~ 5 mm
1 cm
10 mm
1,000 nanometers =
1 micrometer (mm)
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
Zone plate x-ray “lens”
Outer ring spacing ~35 nm
Visible
10-6 m
Pollen grain
Red blood cells
O
O
10-8 m
~10 nm diameter
ATP synthase
0.1 mm
100 nm
Ultraviolet
Nanoworl
d
10-7 m
Fabricate and combine
nanoscale building
blocks to make useful
devices, e.g., a
photosynthetic reaction
center with integral
semiconductor storage.
0.01 mm
10 nm
Self-assembled,
Nature-inspired structure
Many 10s of nm
Nanotube electrode
10-9 m
Soft x-ray
1 nanometer (nm)
DNA
~2-1/2 nm diameter
Atoms of silicon
spacing ~tenths of nm
10-10 m
0.1 nm
Quantum corral of 48 iron atoms on copper surface
positioned one at a time with an STM tip
Corral diameter 14 nm
Carbon
buckyball
~1 nm
diameter
Carbon nanotube
~1.3 nm diameter
Office of Basic Energy Sciences
Office of Science, U.S. DOE
Version 10-07-03, pmd
4 stages of response to any new &
revolutionary development:
(1) It’s crazy!
(2) It may be possible—so what?
(3) I said it was a good idea all along.
(4) I thought of it first.
– Arthur C. Clarke
What is nanotechnology?
• Nanopowders and nanomaterials (pants,
sunscreen)
• Molecular precision (solar cells, light
emitting diodes)
• Nanoscale machines (none yet)
• Matter compilers (read Diamond Age)
• Self-replicating robots (read Prey)
Nanopowders &
nanomaterials
Grain size = 1 ~ 100 nm (usually in all 3 dimensions)
Surface area matters: nano-particle gold is red, not yellow
Applications: paint, insulation, magnets, video displays
Used > millennium, but
understood < 50 years
Terminal velocity:
1 m sphere of water = 738 mph
0.1 mm sphere of water = 0.6 mph
Maya Blue
Molecular precision
• Placing individual molecules (or even atoms)
where we want them.
• Placing an atom where you want it is very slow
(e.g. STM to place xenon atoms, A pound of carbon has 2.3 x 1025 atoms)
• Encouraging atoms can
be done on a mass scale
Nanoscale machines
Matter compilers
• Theoretical and some say impossible
• Living cells are special case proof of concept
Self-replicating robots
• “Nanobots” theoretical, may be impossible
• Powerful and may
not be controllable
• Use “telomeres” to
prevent “cancer”?
More than You See
Nanobot
Software
Wireless
network
Maintenance
infrastructure
Liability
agreements
Techniques
for use
Energy
sources
Environmental
regulations
Intellectual
property
law
Valuable Information
Design
information:
Matter
compilers:
Consumer
products:
$$$$
$
¢