New materials, devices, technologies

As science becomes more sophisticated it naturally enters the realm of what is arbitrarily labeled nanotechnology. The essence of nanotechnology is that as we scale things down they start to take on novel characteristics. Nanoparticles (clusters at nanometre scale), for example, have very interesting properties and have proved useful as catalysts and in other uses since, for example when Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber in 1839 or when the Mesoamericans achieved the same result some 2400 years earlier. If we ever do make nanobots, they will not be scaled down versions of contemporary robots. Nanoscaled devices will probably bear much stronger resemblance to nature's nanodevices: proteins, DNA, membranes etc. Supramolecular assemblies are a good example of this.

One fundamental characteristic of nanotechnology is that nanodevices self-assemble. That is, they build themselves from the bottom up. Scanning probe microscopy is an important technique both for characterization and synthesis of nanomaterials. Atomic force microscopes and scanning tunneling microscopes can be used to look at surfaces and to move atoms around. By designing different tips for these microscopes, they can be used for carving out structures on surfaces and to help guide self-assembling structures. Atoms can be moved around on a surface with scanning probe microscopy techniques, but it is cumbersome, expensive and very time-consuming, and for these reasons it is quite simply not feasible to construct nanoscaled devices atom by atom. You don't want to assemble a billion transistors into a microchip by taking an hour to place each transistor, but these techniques can be used for things like helping guide self-assembling systems.

One of the problems facing nanotechnology is how to assemble atoms and molecules into smart materials and working devices. Supramolecular chemistry is here a very important tool. Supramolecular chemistry is the chemistry beyond the molecule, and molecules are being designed to self-assemble into larger structures. In this case, biology is a place to find inspiration: cells and their pieces are made from self-assembling biopolymers such as proteins and protein complexes. One of the things being explored is synthesis of organic molecules by adding them to the ends of complementary DNA strands such as ---A and ---B, with molecules A and В attached to the end; when these are put together, the complementary DNA strands hydrogen bonds into a double helix, ====AB, and the DNA molecule can be removed to isolate the product AB.

Natural or man-made particles or artifacts often have qualities and capabilities quite different from their macroscopic counterparts. Gold, for example, which is chemically inert at normal scales, can serve as a potent chemical catalyst at nanoscales.

" Nanosize" powder particles (a few nanometres in diameter, also called nanoparticles) are potentially important in ceramics, powder metallurgy, the achievement of uniform nanoporosity, and similar applications. The strong tendency of small particles to form clumps (" agglomerates") is a serious technological problem that impedes such applications. However, a few dispersants such as ammonium citrate (aqueous) and imidazoline or oleyl alcohol (nonaqueous) are promising additives for deagglomeration. (Those materials are In October 2004, researchers at The University of Manchester succeeded in forming a small piece of material only 1 atom thick called graphene. Robert Freitas has suggested that graphene might be used as a deposition surface for a diamondoid mechanosynthesis tool.

As of August 23rd 2004, Stanford University has been able to construct a transistor from single-walled carbon nanotubes and organic molecules. These single- walled carbon nanotubes are basically a rolled up sheet of carbon atoms. They have accomplished creating this transistor making it two nanometers wide and able to maintain current three nanometers in length. To create this resistor they cut metallic nanotrubes in order to form electrodes, and placed one or two organic materials to form a semiconducting channel between the electrodes. It is projected that this new achievement will be available in different application in two to five years.

Further developments in the field of nanotechnology focuses in the telecommunication. In Boston an antenna-like sliver of silicon one-tenth the width of a human hair oscillated in a lab in a Boston University basement. This team led by Professor Pritiraj Mohanty developed the sliver of silicon. Since the technology functions at the speeds of gigahertz this could help make communication devices smaller and exchange information at gigahertz speeds. This nanomachine is comprised of 50 billion atoms and is able to oscillate at 1.49 billion times per second. The antenna moves over a distance of one-tenth of a picometer.

Task 1

Fill the gaps using these key verbs from the text:

* conflate * counterpart * coin

* double helix * DNA * novel

1. This idea..... two issues.

2. When we speak about something that is not like anything known before and often thought of as a new, unusual, and interesting, we say it is.....

3. A shape consisting of two parallel spirals that twist around the same centre, found especially in the structure of...... is called a.....

4. To invent a new word or expression means to.....

5. A..... is someone or something that has the same job or purpose as someone or something else in a different place.

Task 2

There are about 10 words in the text with “nano-“.Try to find them and translate them into Russian.

Task 3

What is the difference between “picometer” and “nanometer”?

Task 4

The following dates are in the text. What do they refer to?

1974 1959 2400 450 B.C.

Task 5

Give comments on the following sayings:

*“Every advance in science leaves morality in its ancient balance;

and it depends still on the inscrutable soul of man whether any

discovery is mainly a benefit or mainly a calamity”

(Gilbert Keith Chesterton)

*“As life and technology merge, they will both become more interesting”

(Glenn Zorpette and Carol Ezzell)

Task 6

Render the text into English

Один американский специалист ещё в 2001 году предрёк появление движения против нанотехнологий. Будет, говорит, " Anti-nanotech Movement", точно так же, как появилось " Anti-biotech Movement". Если не задушить на корню, вырастет. Чего же антинанотехнологи боятся?

Впрочем, говорить о создании Движения рано. Возможно, пока. Если антибиотехнологи широко распространились, в том числе по Интернету, то об опасности и необходимости запрета нанотехнологий информации очень мало. Но она есть.

Из более-менее информативных материалов имеет смысл выделить статью в Wired и работу профессора Томаса Маккарти (Thomas McCarthy) " Война в эпоху невидимых машин" (War in the Age of Invisible Machines).

Смысл статьи журнала Wired: те, кто требует прекратить исследования в области нанотехнологий, потому что эта технология опаснее атомной бомбы, недостаточно образованы, им просто не хватает знаний о наномире. Надо, дескать, вести среди населения разъяснительную работу. Всё.

Маккарти же написал большущую статью с множеством цитат, правда, довольно занудную, но от этого не менее пугающую. Во всяком случае, о характере опасений борцов против нанотехники этот труд даёт исчерпывающее представление. Так же, как и об уровне их познаний в данной области.

Автор оперирует термином MNT (Molecular nanotechnology). По его мнению, это зарождающаяся технология, которая имеет потенциал, чтобы изменить мировую энергосистему, осуществить переворот в политике, экономике и вооружённых силах всех государств.

Короче говоря, MNT кардинально изменит жизнь на планете Земля, мир встанет на уши. А опасность нанотехнологий вовсе не в том, что MNT станет причиной несчастных случаев или в возможности злоупотреблений ею. Скорее, опасения вызывает её нормальное, правильное использование как инструмента.