An Introduction to the Fundamentals of Nano-Technology –
A Tour in Nano-Land
Lower Division Course: EE/Physics/Biology 248 To Be cross-listed 20052006 Catalog
Description: This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of
nanoscience and nanotechnology, wide range of applications, and issues that
will affect the use and widespread use of these technologies based on
ongoing research and discourse. This is an interdisciplinary course, taught
by an interdisciplinary team of instructors and intended as an overview.
Students will get a chance to observe nature and matter in submicron and
nanometer scale domain.
Primary Text :Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big
Idea, Ratner, Mark, and Daniel Ratner, (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall,2003).
Reference Text: Converging Technologies for Improving Human
Performance
Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Cognitive
Science, Roco, Mihail C.; Bainbridge, William Sims (Eds.) 2003, ISBN: 14020-1254-3
Topics:
Each topic will be illustrated with specific realized and realizable applications.
1. Introduction – the world at the nanoscale. Atoms, molecules,
interactions, quantum mechanics. How things scale. [Physics]
2. Amazing molecules. water, Buckyballs, nanotubes, polymers
(including DNA, RNA, liquid crystals), proteins, catalysts.
[Physics/Biology]
3. The macroscopic/nanoscopic interface – a cool tool. Atomic force
microscope (and dip-pen nanolithography). [Physics]
4. Molecular self-assembly – order out of chaos. The formation of
simple molecules, complex molecules, membranes, crystals, proteins
... [Physics/Biology]
5. Nanofluidics, or “Honey I Shrunk the Lab!” Physics of fluids at
the nanoliter scale, lab-on-a-chip. Application: separation of DNA,
RNA and proteins; high throughput drug testing on single cells.
[Physics/Biology]
6. Living machines and how to drive them. Viruses, cells, stem cells.
How to make a virus from scratch. Designing secreted proteins,
industrial enzymes and antibodies. Gene therapy. [Biology]
7. Moore’s law and why it is in big trouble. Problems with scaling
semiconductor chips down to the nanoscale. [Electrical Engineering]
8. Exotic nanostructured materials. Computer memory, clothing and
other commercial applications. [Electrical Engineering]
9. Is that dandruff or … nanobots!!? Small sensors, actuators and
nanobots. ‘Grey goo’. [Electrical Engineering]
10.Implications of Nano-Science and Nano-technology in Society
[Electrical Engineering]