Pioneers of
Nanotechnology
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Richard P. Feynman
A Nobel prize winning physicist who described
nanotechnology in his 1959 presentation There’s
Plenty of Room at the Bottom.
“When we get to the very, very small world … we
have a lot of new things that would happen that
represent completely new opportunities for
design … Atoms on a small scale behave like
nothing on a large scale, for they satisfy the laws
of quantum mechanics.”
http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1965/feynman-bio.html
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Computer Activity
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Read “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”
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http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/feynman.html
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Select a memorable quote from this speech
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K. Eric Drexler
Published Engines of Creation in 1987
 Assembler
 Self assembly
 Self replication
 Nanobots
 http://www.foresight.org/
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What is an assembler?
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Speculations
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Sugar
Sugar is made of 3 kinds of atoms:
Carbon, oxygen and hydrogen.
All of these are present in air.
So out of thin air we could make
sugar if we could control atoms at the
atomic level.
Sound far fetched?
All plants do this especially sugar
cane, beets and maple trees.
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Speculations
The universal assembler – Imagine a
machine which gives us complete control
of matter at the atomic level.
 Imagine it is about the size and cost of a
microwave oven.
 What are some things we could do with
such a device?
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Everything is Made from Atoms
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So a general purpose assembler could make
things like:
 Food
 Clothes
 Computers
 Cars
(These would need to be put together.)
 Televisions
 More assemblers
 Just about anything that could fit through the door
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Discuss some good and bad things
about an assembler
Online Activity
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The Good

The ability to manipulate matter at the
atomic scale could:
 Eliminate
disease, hunger and aging.
 Clean the environment and remove CO2 from
the atmosphere
 Protect us from asteroid collisions, volcanic
eruptions and tsunamis
 Build a space elevator
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The Bad
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If replicating assemblers were able to replicate
uncontrollably they could turn everything into
grey goo.
An enemy may create super viruses or other
devastating nano weapons.
“Nano Bugs” could spy on everything we do.
Nano assassins
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The Foresight Institute defines
molecular nanotechnology as:
Molecular nanotechnology is the name given to
a specific sort of manufacturing technology. As
its name implies, molecular nanotechnology will
be achieved when we are able to build things
from the atom up, and we will be able to
rearrange matter with atomic precision. This
technology does not yet exist; but once it does,
we should have a thorough and inexpensive
system for controlling of the structure of matter.
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Gerd Binnig & Heinrich Rohrer
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Invented the scanning tunneling microscope or STM
which can be used to visualize and manipulate individual
atoms.
http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1986/binnig-autobio.html
http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1986/rohrer-autobio.html
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Ernst Ruska
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Invented the electron microscope in 1931.
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The electron microscope obtains images
by scanning the surface of a sample with a
beam of electrons.
http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1986/ruska-autobio.html
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Don Eigler – Xenon on Nickel
http://www.almaden.ibm.com/vis/stm/gallery.html
Was able to manipulate individual atoms
using a scanning tunneling microscope.
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Richard E. Smalley
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Discovered Buckminsterfullerene a new
form of carbon along with Robert Curl and
Harry Kroto in 1985.
Received the noble prize in Chemistry in
1996 for the discovery of fullerenes.
Professor at Rice University
Died 2005
Research in carbon nanotubes, fullerenes
and energy.
http://smalley.rice.edu/
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The Drexler Smalley Debate
Read the article at the following web site.
Prepare arguments for and against the
realization of molecular assemblers. Be
prepared to support your argument in class.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/8148/8148counterpoint.html
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Sumio Iijima
Discovered the carbon
nanotube.
 A single molecule of carbon.
 100 times stronger than steel
 1/6 the weight
 Can be conductors or
semiconductors
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Create a timeline for
Nanotechnology
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Nanoscience Timeline 13.7 BYA – 10 TYA
13.7 billion years ago: The first
atoms of hydrogen and helium
are formed a few seconds after
the big bang.
4.5 billion years ago: Our solar
system forms including the
Earth. Life emerges shortly
afterwards.
65 million years ago:
Mass extinction which
kills the dinosaurs.
790 thousand years ago:
First use of fire by humans.
10 tya
2-4 million
years ago:
Frequent ice
ages begin.
100 tya
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1 mya
10 mya
100 mya
1 bya
10 bya
~11 billion years ago: Stars form,
producing heavier elements
through nuclear fusion.
245 million years ago:
Largest mass extinction
in Earth history.
75%-96% of all species
die.
14 thousand
years ago:
End of the last
ice age.
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Nanoscience Timeline 8000 BC - 1900
7000 BC:
Earliest record of
fermented beverages.
1661 Anton van
Leeuwenhoek develops
the optical microscope.
460 BC:
Empedocles develops
the concept of
elements.
1808 John Dalton
develops his atomic
theory.
1300 Gold
nanoparticles used
to stain glass red.
1900
1800
1700
1600
1500
1000
0
1000 BC
3000 BC:
Significant
progress in
chemistry in
Egypt and China.
1895 Wilhelm
Roentgen
discovers x-rays.
250 AD:
Maya blue developed.
1697 Isaac
Newton’s theory of 1869 Mendeleev
gravity.
430 BC:
introduces his periodic
Democritus develops
table.
the concept of the
atom.
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Nanoscience Timeline 20th Century
1900 Max Planck
Quantum Theory.
1948 Bardeen, Brattain
& Schockley develop
transistor.
1981 Binnig & Rohrer invent
the scanning tunneling
microscope.
Carbon black used
in tires.
1955 First images
of atoms obtained
1906 Rutherford
proposes atomic
nucleus.
1989 Don Eigler spells
IBM with his STM.
1987 K. Eric Drexler
publishes “Engines of
Creation.”
1989 Smalley, Curl
& Kroto discover
1959 Richard Feynman gives
fullerenes.
“There’s Plenty of Room at the
Bottom” speech.
1953 Crick & Watson
propose double helix
structure for DNA.
1931 Ernst Ruska
invents the electron
microscope.
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1991
1990
1980
1970
1960
1950
1900
1905 Einstein’s
theory of relativity.
1991 Sumio Iijima
discovers the
carbon nanotube.
Nanoscience Fiction
Prey by Michael Crichton
http://www.amazon.com/Prey-MichaelCrichton/dp/0061015725/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&
qid=1219935133&sr=8-2
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Age-Illustrated-PrimerSpectra/dp/0553380966/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid
=1219935230&sr=1-1
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