Molecular nanotechnology

Molecular nanotechnology ( MNT) is a technology at the level of individual molecules.

In 1986, the American engineer Eric Drexler the concept of nanotechnology in his book " Engines of Creation " widely known. Drexler defined while the term much more extensive than, for example before him, Richard Feynman and Norio Taniguchi or than our current understanding of nanotechnology.

Drexler meant by nanotechnology, digital, programmable manipulation of matter at the atomic level and the resulting production.

His idea and belief is that from the building blocks of matter, the atoms after the Lego principle, a new world can be created. Because almost everything that is currently imperfect, had its origin in a faulty assembly of atoms. So - so his intention - you have to move them back to the right place.

To distinguish it indicated the beginning of the 1990s, this technology Molecular Nanotechnology and wrote in 1991 a book to do so.

Concept of technology by Drexler

The concept of MNT is mainly based on the so-called mechanosynthesis, ie the selective picking and placing of atomic and molecular components.

• Molecule Big robots, assembler called who work in tiny factories to nano assembly lines and put together with high speed from single atoms and molecules that which accrues to human needs as: cars and steaks, human organs, houses, space ships and computer or bacteria- large " soldiers "which are invincible.

• Robots that you smuggled into the bloodstream to destroy invaders such as viruses and bacilli and repair defective cells and organs. All this is practically free, because the assembler reproduce themselves and material can be recovered from waste.

• A single assembly consists of about one million atoms and tens of thousands of moving parts, each constructed from a few atoms. Thus, a complex machine which picks instead of semi-finished products such as a present-day industrial robot molecules that are delivered from a warehouse and the conveyor belt is mounted, wherein the chemical bonds are used as adhesive. As the nano- computers are also the purely mechanical assembler constructs consisting of levers, motors, gears, etc.

• These nano- factories should be able to transform anything as long as it does not contradict the physical or chemical laws. Model is the nature: everything that a tree needs is light, air and water. Means he wins photosynthesis food from sunlight, using molecular machines he turns carbon dioxide into oxygen and hydrocarbon compounds, forming roots, trunk and branches, producing leaves and bears fruit. Nature itself knows molecular motors, pumps and drives, which move about bacteria through the water. And she has also designed a nano-sized computers: the genetic material, the genome. It controls from the fabrication of something highly complex from the nucleus, which contains the program that determines what gender, what size, what color of eyes etc. have the finished " product".

Status of implementation of Vision

In recent years, some assumptions Drexler were experimentally confirmed and achieved initial results.

• In 1998, Wilson Ho succeeded by Cornell University single Eisenmonocarbonylmoleküle ( FeCO ) and Eisendicarbonylmoleküle (Fe (CO) 2 ), of iron atoms ( Fe ) and carbon monoxide molecules ( CO) assemble with the scanning tunneling microscope.

• In early 2007, presented in collaboration with the CNRS in Toulouse, the first two nano wheels, a research team from the Free University of Berlin, which can be rolled on a surface. There are Triptycenmoleküle resembling wheels with three spokes. They are connected by an axle of four carbon atoms. The rolling movement of the wheels is induced (STM) with the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope, and simultaneously read in real time. The corrugation of the surface plays an important role: If this is too low, so the surface is flat, there is only one class of the molecules can be induced. It could also be shown that the pathlengths of the wheels or rollers upon jumping to the surface characteristic of the two mechanisms.

• Following the same principle this research collaboration has also developed nano gears that are also driven by an STM tip along a jagged edge of atoms rotate.

• However, the two experiments also show a major difficulty faced by the molecular machinery builders. The conventional mechanism that emanates example of smooth surfaces, can not use without further notice. Individual surface atoms act as bumps. Each nanomachine also still needs energy from outside in order to move.

• Nature has solved this problem elegantly, by transferring the energy inside cells chemically. ATP molecules deliver them in the form of electrons, which are transferred to the motor proteins. This can then trigger various biological processes, from the transport of individual chemical components through the cell to a muscle contraction in the large scale. For this reason, experiments run to check the possibilities, the DNA molecule has a carrier of genetic information, as a construction material. For the nano- robotics, it is crucial to be able to insert controllable elements at specific locations in a grid.

• If you wanted to move macromolecules in vacuum or in air at a distance of less than a few atomic diameters past each other, then they would stick by the van der Waals forces together. However, when embedding the macromolecules in water or another suitable liquid, then the liquid acquires the van der Waals forces, and it can move past one another with low friction, the macromolecules. In this way function living cells, and the drive of the flagellar bacteria reaches 50 revolutions per second.

• Hold or release individual atoms or molecules in a purely mechanical is also complicated by the van der Waals forces, which has been referred to as the " Sticky Fingers " problem. This problem, and the purely mechanical production of atomic bonds, was overcome by the application of an electric voltage, which has been shown here.

• Many scientists are skeptical and regard the realization of the vision of Drexler unrealistic. According to the advocates of the MNT, it is their opponents but have not succeeded yet in conclusion put forward convincing scientific arguments against the feasibility of MNT. It is undisputed that Drexler asserts nothing, which is contrary to the laws of physics or chemistry, because the practice of evidence ultimately resulting nature today.