Nanotechnology
By Janece Campbell
How nanotechnology will work
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Molecular Nanotechnology
Building with atoms
A new industrial revolution
Products that can be used
Money and Funding
Molecular Nanotechnology
“The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility
of maneuvering things atom by atom”
-- Richard Feynman, 1959
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Molecular nanotechnology is a type of manufacturing technology.
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This will be achieved when we are able to build things from the atom
up and rearrange matter with atomic precision
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Although this technology does not yet exist, once it does, we should
have a thorough and inexpensive system for controlling the
structure of matter
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The central thesis of nanotechnology is that almost any
chemically stable structure that is not specifically disallowed by
the laws of physics can in fact be built
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The possibility of building things atom by atom was introduced
by Richard Feynman.
Molecular Nanotechnology
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How might precise control be achieved
Why develop it
How will it improve our lives
Risks
Progress
How long?
Building with Atoms
• Henry Ford’s assembly line compared to
nanotechnology
• Nanogears may replace current manufacturing
processes
• Nanogears no more than a nanometer wide could
be used to construct a matter compiler, which
could be fed raw material to arrange atoms and
build a macro-scale structure.
• Nanotechnology is a hybrid science combining
engineering and chemistry
Building with Atoms
• Atoms and molecules stick together because they have
complementary shapes that lock together, or charges that
attract.
• As millions of these atoms are pieced together by
nanomachines, a specific product will begin to take
shape.
• The goal of nanotechnology is to manipulate atoms
individually and place them in a pattern to produce a
desired structure.
• There are three steps to achieving nanotechnologyproduced goods:
Steps to Achieving
nanotechnology-produced goods
• Step 1
– Scientists must be able to manipulate
individual atoms.
– This means that they will have to develop a
technique to grab single atoms and move
them to desired positions.
– IBM Example
• In 1990, IBM researchers showed that it is possible to
manipulate single atoms.
• They positioned 35 Xenon atoms on the surface of a
nickel crystal, using an atomic force microscopy
instrument.
• These positioned atoms spelled out the letters "IBM."
Steps to Achieving
nanotechnology-produced goods
• Step 2
– The next step will be to develop nanoscopic machines,
called assemblers, that can be programmed to
manipulate atoms and molecules at will.
– It would take thousands of years for a single
assembler to produce any kind of material one atom
at a time.
– Trillions of assemblers will be needed to develop
products in a viable time frame.
Steps to Achieving
nanotechnology-produced goods
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Step 3
– In order to create enough assemblers to build consumer goods,
some nanomachines, called replicators, will be programmed to
build more assemblers.
Trillions of assemblers and replicators will fill an area smaller than
a cubic millimeter, and will still be too small for us to see with the
naked eye.
Assemblers and replicators will work together like hands to
automatically construct products, and will eventually replace all
traditional labor methods.
This will vastly decrease manufacturing costs, thereby making
consumer goods plentiful, cheaper and stronger.
A New Industrial Revolution
• The first products made from nanomachines will be
stronger fibers.
– Eventually, we will be able to replicate anything, including
diamonds, water and food
• Nanotechnology will be needed to create a new
generation of computer components.
• Nanotechnology may have its biggest impact on the
medical industry.
– Patients will drink fluids containing nanorobots programmed
to attack and reconstruct the molecular structure of cancer cells
and viruses to make them harmless.
Products available today from
nanoscience
• Most computer hard
drives contain giant
magnetoresistance
(GMR) through
nano- thin layers of
magnetic materials,
allow for a
significant increase
in storage capacity
• Some other current
uses already in
marketplace
– Burn and wound
dressings
– Water filtration
– Catalysis
– Sunscreens and
cosmetics
Products in nanotechnology
• In the next few years
– Watch for solar cells in the
roofing tiles and siding
that provide electricity for
homes and facilities.
– Prototype tires exist today
that provide improved skid
resistance, reduced
abrasion and resulting
longer wear.
– The nanocomposites being
used in tires can be used in
other consumer products
including high
performance footwear,
exercise equipment and car
parts such as seat belts,
wiper blades and seals.
• Next 10-20 years
– Today’s predictions center
on pervasive computer
applications.
– It is believed that
nanotechnology will
facilitate the production of
ever-smaller computers
that store vastly greater
amounts of information
and process data much
more quickly.
– Computing elements are
expected to be so
inexpensive that they can
be in fabrics and other
materials
Money and Nano
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How much money is the U.S
Government spending on
nanotechnology
– The federal Investment in
nanotechnology has
increased from $116
million ’97 to a request of
$849 million in ’04
– Private industry is
investing at least as much
as the government
according to the estimates
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Other countries
– It is estimated that
worldwide government
funding has increased
about five times what it
was in ’97
– Exceeding $2 billion in
2002
– Asian countries,
including Japan, China,
and Korea, as well as
several European countries
, have made leadership in
nanotechnology national
priorities.