From the atom up
Restructuring what we know as science, one nanoliter at a time.
Katharine Jones
Issue date: 3/8/04 Section: Nanotechnology
- Page 1 of 1
Springing up beside the University at Albany, right at the busy intersection of Washington Avenue and Fuller Road, is the NanoTech center. It's a large, modern facility that looks somewhat out of place beside the student housing and across the street from a pine forest reserve. Inside its 70,000-foot infrastructure, scientists are currently working with the materials on the cutting edge of technology.
Though the building has been in construction over the past few years, (new additions are still being built), few students know what exactly goes on there. Most people on campus have heard the buzzword "nanotechnology," but it may take a little explaining for them to really understand what nanotechnology actually is and what it could mean for them in the future.
For years, scientists have been discussing the possibilities of this new technology. Questions concerning its possibilities are constantly asked. Is the restructuring of atoms, the key of nanotechnology, just a radical fad that will never live up to it's hype or will it actually be possible to create newer, stronger, lighter, and more powerful materials, all built from the atom up? Could nanotechnology replace the very sciences and industries that we have grown to know and trust as state of the art?
There are many ideas of what nanotechnology could mean for the future of not only technological engineering and science, but also for businesses and the way people live their everyday lives. It is difficult to accept all the ideas about the future of nanotechnology without understanding the fundamentals of this relatively new field of science.
In short, nanotechnology is the rearranging of atoms and molecules so that they can be tailored in to new materials and products. The word "nano" is the Greek word for dwarf, and refers to any unit as one billionth of that unit. For example, one nanoliter is one billionth of a liter, and one nanometer is one billionth of a meter. To put this in to a comparison, the period at the end of this sentence is about one million nanometers.
By working on a nanoscale, researchers can work with molecules and organize them into new patterns, thus creating new materials with specific properties. The way that different molecules, which vary in terms of surface features and shapes, form into nanoscale patterns determine a material's various properties. By controlling the pattern of molecules a scientist controls the properties of the produced materials. Linda Schadler, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York explains this visually.
"If you think of a bucket of LEGOs, you could shake it up--you could put Velcro on pieces and eventually they would stick together or you could take LEGOs piece by piece and build them into a pirate ship," she describes. By working on a nanoscale and targeting the building blocks, that as a whole bind with other blocks, creates new materials and at RPI's Center for Directed Assembly, researchers are doing just that.
"We are trying to direct the assembly of the building blocks in to structures with a specific function," says Schadler.
Compared to the scientific studies of the past, nanotechnology is literally on a completely different level.
"Scientists had concern in late 90s. If you look how science evolved in the 20th century, it was focused on macro-systems and then began building systems that were smaller and smaller and smaller. As science evolves, it will all be at an atomic scale," says Alain Kaloyeros, a professor of physics and dean of the new School of Nanosciences and Nanoengineering.
This means that the manipulation of atoms and molecules, to improve existing products on the molecular level, could open the door for countless opportunities in the world of technological engineering.
But what does this science mean in the future for consumers? Many people have been asking this question, and no one really has an answer. Most speculate, that like computers, which have come from experimental technology to the very computers we regularly type on, nanotechnology will one day in the relatively near future alter the way Americans live their everyday lives.
Already nanotech engineering has made changes in the production of sunscreens, cars and pharmaceutical products. Creative scientists have already begun to conceptualize other possibilities for products created with the use of nanotech engineering: a computer the size of a watch, but with more power then today's desktops and airplanes, trains and cars made of ultra light, super strong materials that would cut down on energy costs and maybe even be capable of self-repairing. Computer hard drives could be left in the dust as the use of magnetic random access memory chips that store over hundreds of megabits or gigabits, replaces them. In the medical field, scientists could one day find a way to cure viruses like HIV or herpes by studying the molecules and chemical structures of DNA. The possibilities are endless. As researchers understand more about nanotechnology in the up coming years more specific ideas and uses of this new science will emerge.
Nanotechnology may sound radical, but in reality, it is a technology that has been growing with force since the late 1980's, and the American government has a big hand in this. Recently, President George W. Bush has signed a bill to provide nanotechnology researchers with 3.7 billion dollars over the next four years. This is one of the largest amounts of money given by the government to support science research. The Albany Nanotech Center and RPI are both likely recipients of these funds, along with Cornell University and Columbia University.
The Capital region of New York has been especially active in the nanotech industry. Both programs at SUNY Albany and RPI have respected centers of nanotech research. Located at the Albany Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics is a new college of nanotechnological studies, the first in the nation of its kind. Graduate students at the School of Nanosciences and Nanoengineering will be able to study physics, chemistry, biology and computer science, and integrate these studies with nanotechnology and engineering.
The addition of the new school to the growing nanotech industry of the region was designed not only to further the university's research facilities, but also to better the reputation of the area and attract scientific intellectuals. According to the School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering website, the school "represents the next step in the University's strategy to establish the critical mass of intellectual know how and state-of-the-art educational and research facilities in these emerging critical scientific disciplines."
But even before the recent opening of the college, the area has been welcoming to the nanotech industry. With the support of Gov. George Pataki and a strong population of scientific professionals to bring the industry to this region, Albany and its surrounding area is the perfect candidate for nanotechnology.
"The Capital Region has a highly educated workforce with a large number of people educated in technical fields (medicine, science, engineering). The Capital Region has excellent colleges and universities. The legislature is committed to maintaining the technical leadership that the Capital Region has shown before," says Schadler of the Capital region's involvement in nanotech research.
The Capital region, which includes both the nanotechnology centers at SUNY Albany and RPI, is a fast growing community of engineers and scientists. At the Albany location, researchers are working on integrated circuitry, microprocessors, and memory computer chips. The center is home to a compound semiconductor process facility, an integrated 200mm/300mm wafer (a device that integrates nanotech innovations), and $125 million dollars worth of other nanotech tools. Also in the works is an additional 225,000 square foot facility to house more room for research with microchips.
As nanotechnology grows in popularity, more facilities in the region are starting up. In near by Amherst, Massachusetts, a multimillion-dollar nanotech facility at the University of Massachusetts is in the works. And as the nanotech industry continues to spread across the region, so too are the economic possibilities. Thousands of jobs are expected to continue to open up as a direct result of the ever-growing electronic industry. Research projects at the area's nanotech centers can help boost economic activity across the region by attracting corporations who want to get in on the industry. Already involved at the RPI Nanotechnology center, are IBM and Kodak.
Nanotechnology is still its infancy, and a few institutions in our region are just becoming established centers of research in the field. Though it may be some time before we get used to the idea engineering on an atomic level (and of all the possibilities that this new science introduces us to), we as residents of the capital region are lucky enough to live right where much of the industry's fascinating advancements are being made.
Though the building has been in construction over the past few years, (new additions are still being built), few students know what exactly goes on there. Most people on campus have heard the buzzword "nanotechnology," but it may take a little explaining for them to really understand what nanotechnology actually is and what it could mean for them in the future.
For years, scientists have been discussing the possibilities of this new technology. Questions concerning its possibilities are constantly asked. Is the restructuring of atoms, the key of nanotechnology, just a radical fad that will never live up to it's hype or will it actually be possible to create newer, stronger, lighter, and more powerful materials, all built from the atom up? Could nanotechnology replace the very sciences and industries that we have grown to know and trust as state of the art?
There are many ideas of what nanotechnology could mean for the future of not only technological engineering and science, but also for businesses and the way people live their everyday lives. It is difficult to accept all the ideas about the future of nanotechnology without understanding the fundamentals of this relatively new field of science.
In short, nanotechnology is the rearranging of atoms and molecules so that they can be tailored in to new materials and products. The word "nano" is the Greek word for dwarf, and refers to any unit as one billionth of that unit. For example, one nanoliter is one billionth of a liter, and one nanometer is one billionth of a meter. To put this in to a comparison, the period at the end of this sentence is about one million nanometers.
By working on a nanoscale, researchers can work with molecules and organize them into new patterns, thus creating new materials with specific properties. The way that different molecules, which vary in terms of surface features and shapes, form into nanoscale patterns determine a material's various properties. By controlling the pattern of molecules a scientist controls the properties of the produced materials. Linda Schadler, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York explains this visually.
"If you think of a bucket of LEGOs, you could shake it up--you could put Velcro on pieces and eventually they would stick together or you could take LEGOs piece by piece and build them into a pirate ship," she describes. By working on a nanoscale and targeting the building blocks, that as a whole bind with other blocks, creates new materials and at RPI's Center for Directed Assembly, researchers are doing just that.
 The Materials Research Center at RPI |
"We are trying to direct the assembly of the building blocks in to structures with a specific function," says Schadler.
Compared to the scientific studies of the past, nanotechnology is literally on a completely different level.
"Scientists had concern in late 90s. If you look how science evolved in the 20th century, it was focused on macro-systems and then began building systems that were smaller and smaller and smaller. As science evolves, it will all be at an atomic scale," says Alain Kaloyeros, a professor of physics and dean of the new School of Nanosciences and Nanoengineering.
This means that the manipulation of atoms and molecules, to improve existing products on the molecular level, could open the door for countless opportunities in the world of technological engineering.
But what does this science mean in the future for consumers? Many people have been asking this question, and no one really has an answer. Most speculate, that like computers, which have come from experimental technology to the very computers we regularly type on, nanotechnology will one day in the relatively near future alter the way Americans live their everyday lives.
Already nanotech engineering has made changes in the production of sunscreens, cars and pharmaceutical products. Creative scientists have already begun to conceptualize other possibilities for products created with the use of nanotech engineering: a computer the size of a watch, but with more power then today's desktops and airplanes, trains and cars made of ultra light, super strong materials that would cut down on energy costs and maybe even be capable of self-repairing. Computer hard drives could be left in the dust as the use of magnetic random access memory chips that store over hundreds of megabits or gigabits, replaces them. In the medical field, scientists could one day find a way to cure viruses like HIV or herpes by studying the molecules and chemical structures of DNA. The possibilities are endless. As researchers understand more about nanotechnology in the up coming years more specific ideas and uses of this new science will emerge.
Nanotechnology may sound radical, but in reality, it is a technology that has been growing with force since the late 1980's, and the American government has a big hand in this. Recently, President George W. Bush has signed a bill to provide nanotechnology researchers with 3.7 billion dollars over the next four years. This is one of the largest amounts of money given by the government to support science research. The Albany Nanotech Center and RPI are both likely recipients of these funds, along with Cornell University and Columbia University.
The Capital region of New York has been especially active in the nanotech industry. Both programs at SUNY Albany and RPI have respected centers of nanotech research. Located at the Albany Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics is a new college of nanotechnological studies, the first in the nation of its kind. Graduate students at the School of Nanosciences and Nanoengineering will be able to study physics, chemistry, biology and computer science, and integrate these studies with nanotechnology and engineering.
The addition of the new school to the growing nanotech industry of the region was designed not only to further the university's research facilities, but also to better the reputation of the area and attract scientific intellectuals. According to the School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering website, the school "represents the next step in the University's strategy to establish the critical mass of intellectual know how and state-of-the-art educational and research facilities in these emerging critical scientific disciplines."
But even before the recent opening of the college, the area has been welcoming to the nanotech industry. With the support of Gov. George Pataki and a strong population of scientific professionals to bring the industry to this region, Albany and its surrounding area is the perfect candidate for nanotechnology.
"The Capital Region has a highly educated workforce with a large number of people educated in technical fields (medicine, science, engineering). The Capital Region has excellent colleges and universities. The legislature is committed to maintaining the technical leadership that the Capital Region has shown before," says Schadler of the Capital region's involvement in nanotech research.
The Capital region, which includes both the nanotechnology centers at SUNY Albany and RPI, is a fast growing community of engineers and scientists. At the Albany location, researchers are working on integrated circuitry, microprocessors, and memory computer chips. The center is home to a compound semiconductor process facility, an integrated 200mm/300mm wafer (a device that integrates nanotech innovations), and $125 million dollars worth of other nanotech tools. Also in the works is an additional 225,000 square foot facility to house more room for research with microchips.
As nanotechnology grows in popularity, more facilities in the region are starting up. In near by Amherst, Massachusetts, a multimillion-dollar nanotech facility at the University of Massachusetts is in the works. And as the nanotech industry continues to spread across the region, so too are the economic possibilities. Thousands of jobs are expected to continue to open up as a direct result of the ever-growing electronic industry. Research projects at the area's nanotech centers can help boost economic activity across the region by attracting corporations who want to get in on the industry. Already involved at the RPI Nanotechnology center, are IBM and Kodak.
Nanotechnology is still its infancy, and a few institutions in our region are just becoming established centers of research in the field. Though it may be some time before we get used to the idea engineering on an atomic level (and of all the possibilities that this new science introduces us to), we as residents of the capital region are lucky enough to live right where much of the industry's fascinating advancements are being made.