Comments on: New strategic plan for U.S. Nanotechnology Initiative

By: interested_layperson

interested_layperson — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 07:22:09 +0000

Hi all ,
If not MMT devices , maybe microchemical systems(chemical plant-on- chip arrays) to produce everday consumable household products (e.g. paints,solvents ,etc) right on the table top from cheap feedstocks such as rubbing alcohol.

I wonder if CO2 captured using some sort of nanomembrane gas sieve array in the yard or on rooftops can be used for the production of synthetic petrol for cars and printable plastic polymers for 3D printers.

Any thoughts?

laterz

By: Rob Juneau

Rob Juneau — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:34:46 +0000

Thanks for the coffee on my keybard, Christine. :])

Anonimouse, may I ask if, in abysmally simple terms, you’re saying the oven is still too hot for the pizza? What if we left the oven door open and cooked the ‘za in the glow?

Forgive me… Long day.

By: Christine Peterson

Christine Peterson — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:33:42 +0000

Hi anonimouse — I would enjoy discussing this with you, but am finding it hard to have a serious discussion with someone called anonimouse. Can we switch to your real name? —Christine

By: anonimouse

anonimouse — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:12:14 +0000

Christine, here’s the thing: Pick-and-place techniques won’t cut it for complex APM because errors can’t be sufficiently detected and corrected through culling or rework. And there’s a lot of evidence that there is no possible path from nanobio to diamondoid, graphene, or fullerene technologies. If it were possible we would see evolution-derived examples, in much the same way that we see examples of nanobio motors (flagella, cilia) and nanobio-built silica (diatoms). But the energy requirements to create carbon-carbon bonds like those in graphene appear to be too high for protein-mediated aqueous chemistry. So we’re kind of stuck.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the famous Sidney Harris cartoon “And then a miracle occurs” (http://www.cartoonbank.com/product_details.asp?mscssid=DJUKNV8G6HB99HEMW7R6P4C120NCCL25&sitetype=1&did=4&sid=40967&pid=&keyword=and+then+a+miracle+occurs&section=all&title=undefined&whichpage=1&sortBy=popular). Until the “miracle” step from nanobio (or pick-and-place AFM work) to complex APM can be replaced, even conceptually, with a high-bond-energy approach that works a lot like like biology (stochastic chemistry proceeding to a desired APM product, crucially with LOTS of ongoing error correction and culling of damaged product like that performed biologically by ubiquitin and proteasomal degradation), we just have to get used to disappointment.

Unfortunately there are no bright ideas along those lines, and not for lack of trying. I think it’s because there’s a poorly perceived, but absolute, physical barrier related to the absence of s suitable high-temperature solvent chemistry to support the creation of catalysis-mediated carbon-carbon bonds, rather than a mere conceptual barrier.

And hey, I could be wrong.