The Future of Nanotechnology

Jason Montesanto
February 27, 2001
Outline
„ What is Nanotechnology?
„ Materials and Manufacturing
„ Health and Medicine
„ Energy and Environment
„ National Security
„ Nanoelectronics and Computing
„ Carbon Nanotubes
„ National Nanotechnology Initiative
„ Summary
What is Nanotechnology?
How important is
Nanotechnology?
„ National Nanotechnology Initiative
„ Neal Lane, Assistant to the President for
Science and Technology
Nanostructures
„ New behavior at the nanoscale is not
necessarily predictable from what we
know at the macroscale
„ Dominance of interfacial phenomena
„ Van Der Waals forces, Coulombic forces
„ Quantum mechanics
Examples of Nanostructures
„ Carbon Nanotubes
„ Thin films
„ Proteins, DNA
„ Single electron
transistors
Nano beginnings
„ Richard Feynman,
1959
„ Emergence of
instruments in the
1980’s
„ AFM, STM
The AFM
„ Works by “dragging”
a cantilever with an
extremely sharp tip
over a surface or
sample
AFM Image
„ Two DNA strands
AFM Image
„ IBM written with single xenon atoms on
nickel
AFM Image
„ Nanolithographic
techniques used to
create an image on
a substrate
Scanning Thermal Microscopy
„ Measures thermal
conductivities, or
temperatures of
surfaces
Scanning Thermal Microscopy
„ Temperature
contrast mode
„ Conductivity
contrast mode
Impact on Manufacturing and
Materials
„ Lighter, Stronger Materials
„ Bio-inspired materials
„ Adaptive, or self-healing materials
„ Manufacturing to exact shapes without
machining
Health and Medicine
„ Improving ability to sequence genetic
codes
„ More effective, less expensive health
care
„ New drug formulations, delivery
methods
„ Sensors for early detection, prevention
Energy and Environment
„ Ordered mesoporous material by Mobil
Oil to remove ultrafine contaminants
„ Nanoparticle reinforced polymers to
replace metals in automobiles
National Defense
„ Chemical/biological/nuclear sensing
„ Increased use of automation and
robotics
Computing
„ Biomimetic
„ Modeling after biological systems
„ One gram of DNA could possibly store all
the data in the Library of Congress
„ The human brain contains 1014
interconnects and operates at 1016 ops/sec
using very low power and imprecise
information
„ Human immune system is ‘self-repairing’
Computing
„ Carbon nanotube
transistor by IBM
and Delft University
Carbon nanotubes
„ CNT is a tubular
form of carbon with
diameters as small
as 1nm, and lengths
of over 130 microns
Carbon nanotubes
„ CNT’s exhibit
extraordinary
mechanical
properties
„ Young’s Modulus
over 1 TPa
„ Tensile strength
approximately 200
GPa
CNT Thermal Properties
„ Thermal
Conductivity
„ Comparable to
diamond
„ Changes with
temperature and
current
CNT Synthesis
„ Grown by laser
ablation, carbon arc
process, and
chemical vapor
deposition
CNT Synthesis
„ Chemical Vapor
Deposition
CNT in microscopy
„ CNT tip is strong,
and offers better
resolution
CNT Applications
„ CNT’s as
interconnects
„ AFM imaging
„ NEMS
„ Flat Panel Displays
„ High Strength, light
weight composites,
cables
National Nanotechnology
Initiative
„ Multi-agency initiative in
nanotechnology starting in FY01
„ “Leading to the next industrial
revolution”
„ Information: www.nano.gov
National Nanotechnology
Initiative
„ $495 million dollars in funding
„ NSF - $217M
„ DoD - $110M
„ DOE - $94M
„ NASA - $20M
„ DOC - $18M
„ NIH - $36M
Foreign Nanotechnology
Research
„ U.S. does not dominate
„ 1997 Government expenditures
„ U.S. - $118M
„ Japan - $120M
„ Europe - $122M
„ Others - $65M
Summary
„ “A technological revolution”
„ The National Nanotechnology Initiative
is in place to combine the efforts of the
United States in pushing
Nanotechnology
QUESTIONS?