Building with Atoms

Atoms are the building blocks for all matter in our universe. You and everything around you are made of atoms. Nature has perfected the science of manufacturing matter molecularly. For instance, our bodies are assembled in a specific manner from millions of living cells. Cells are nature’s nanomachines. Humans still have a lot to learn about the idea of constructing materials on such a small scale. Consumer goods that we buy are made by pushing piles of atoms together in a bulky, imprecise manner. Imagine if we could manipulate each individual atom of an object. That's the basic idea of nanotechnology, and many scientists believe that we are only a few decades away from achieving it.

Nanotechnology is a hybrid science combining engineering and chemistry. Atoms and molecules stick together because they have complementary shapes that lock together, or charges that attract. Just like with magnets, a positively charged atom will stick to a negatively charged atom. As millions of these atoms are pieced together by nanomachines, a specific product will begin to take shape. The goal of nanotechnology is to manipulate atoms individually and place them in a pattern to produce a desired structure. There are three steps to achieving nanotechnology -produced goods:

• Scientists must be able to manipulate individual atoms. This means that they will have to develop a technique to grab single atoms and move them to desired positions. In 1990, IBM researchers showed that it is possible to manipulate single atoms. They positioned 35 xenon atoms on the surface of a nickel crystal, using an atomic force microscopy instrument. These positioned atoms spelled out the letters "IBM." You can view this nano-logo.
• The next step will be to develop nanoscopic machines, called assemblers , that can be programmed to manipulate atoms and molecules at will. It would take thousands of years for a single assembler to produce any kind of material one atom at a time. So, trillions of assemblers will be needed to develop products in a viable time frame.
• In order to create enough assemblers to build consumer goods, some nanomachines, called replicators, will be programmed to build more assemblers . Trillions of assemblers and replicators will fill an area smaller than a cubic millimeter, and still will be too small for us to see with the naked eye. Assemblers and replicators will work together like hands to automatically construct products, and will eventually replace all traditional labor methods. This will vastly decrease manufacturing costs, thereby making consumer goods plentiful, cheaper and stronger. In the next section you'll find out how nanotechnology will impact every facet of society, from medicine to computers .

A New Industrial Revolution

In January 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton requested a $227-million increase in the government’s investment in nanotechnology research and development, which includes a major new initiative called the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). This initiative nearly doubles America's 2000-budget investment in nanotechnology, bringing the total invested in nanotechnology to $497 million for the 2001 national budget. In a written statement, White House officials said that "nanotechnology is the new frontier and its potential impact is compelling."

About 70 percent of the new nanotechnology funding will go to university research efforts, which will help meet the demand for workers with nanoscale science and engineering skills. The initiative will also fund the projects of several governmental agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, NASA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Much of the research will take more than 20 years to complete, but the process itself could touch off a new industrial revolution. Nanotechnology is likely to change the way almost everything, including medicine, computers and cars, are designed and constructed. Nanotechnology is anywhere from five to 15 years in the future; and we won't see dramatic changes in our world right away. But let's take a look at the potential effects of nanotechnology:

• The first products made from nanomachines will be stronger fibers. Eventually, we will be able to replicate anything, including diamonds, water and food. Famine could be eradicated by machine s that fabricates foods to feed the hungry.
• In the computer industry, the ability to shrink the size of transistors on silicon microprocessors will soon reach its limits. Nanotechnology will be needed to create a new generation of computer components. Molecular computers could contain storage devices capable of storing trillions of bytes of information in a structure the size of a sugar cube.
• Nanotechnology may have its biggest impact on the medical industry. Patients will drink fluids containing nanorobots prigrammed to attack and reconstruct the molecular structure of cancer cells and viruses to make them harmless. There's even speculation that nanorobots could slow or reverse the aging process, and life expectancy could increase significantly. Nanorobots could also be programmed to perform delicate surgeries--such nanosurgeons could work at a level a thousand times more precise than the sharpest scalpel. By working on such a small scale, a nanorobot could operate without leaving the scars that conventional surgery does. Additionally, nanorobots could change your physical appearance. They could be programmed to perform cosmetic surgery, rearranging your atoms to change your ears, nose, eye color or any other physical feature you wish to alter.
• Nanotechnology has the potential to have a positive effect on the environment. For instance, airborne nanorobots could be programmed to rebuild the thinning ozone layer. Contaminants could be automatically removed from water sources and oil spills could be cleaned up instantly. And manufacturing materials using the bottom-up method of nanotechnology also creates less pollution than conventional manufacturing processes. Our dependence on non-renewable resources would diminish with nanotechnology. Many resources could be constructed by nanomachines. Cutting down trees, mining coal or drilling for oil may no longer be necessary. Resources could simply be constructed by nanomachines.
• The promises of nanotechnology sound great, don't they? Maybe even unbelievable? But researchers say that we will achieve these capabilities within the next century. And if nanotechnology is, in fact, achieved, it might be the human race’s greatest scientific achievement yet, completely changing every aspect of the way we live.

Nanotechnology rust-proofing - without chromium

For a long time, chromium plating protected car bodies against rust – but this has been prohibited since 2007. However, chromium-free coatings are not suitable for universal use; they have to be adapted to the respective application. A new chromium-free coating can help. Years ago, the ice-cream van used to drive through residential areas, ringing a bell to entice people out of their houses. Today their place has been taken by scrap metal collectors. Whether it be refrigerators, washing machines or car parts – the dwindling natural resources mean that scrap metal is worth money. To ensure that the recycling of old cars, for example, does not pose a risk to human health and the environment, the European Parliament has issued a guideline: The use of toxic and carcinogenic chromium(VI) compounds in car manufacturing has been prohibited since mid-2007. Until then, a chromate layer underneath the paint protected the car body against corrosion. Since that time, several chromium(VI)-free protective coatings have made their way into industrial halls – but they do not afford the same degree of protection as chromium(VI) plating, and cannot be used on all types of metal surface. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institutes for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg and for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU in Chemnitz, along with colleagues at the Institute for Corrosion Protection Dresden GmbH, have developed an alternative – based on nanocomposites. “The new nanomaterials we developed using the sol-gel method adhere very well to most types of galvanization that we examined,” reports ISC project manager Dr. Johanna Kron. To produce them, the researchers dipped galvanized steel sheets into a coating sol and applied a powder coating. They subjected the coated sheets to a variety of load tests. One such test was to keep scratched steel sheets in a chamber filled with atomized brine for 360 hours, or 15 days, at a temperature of 35 degrees. They also placed the metal sheets in an environment chamber with a relative humidity of 100 percent for 240 hours, or 10 days. “These coatings protect most galvanized materials almost as well as commercial yellow chrome plating. Indeed, the new coatings are often even more effective than the chromium-free system and chromium(III) passivation currently on the market,” says Kron. Good anti-corrosion measures are one thing, but is it also possible to deep-draw and bend the metal sheets treated in this way without destroying the coating? “As the coatings are less than a thousandth of a millimeter thick, you can form the chromium-free coated metal sheets in exactly the same way as yellow chrome plated sheets,” says Kron. The researchers can already produce the corrosion proofing on a laboratory scale. Kron believes that the system could be launched on the market in about five years’ time.

Future Cars

Intelligent Vehicles

Fuel efficient, zero emission vehicles will use high tech electronics to assist drivers in a wide variety of ways. Vehicles will communicate with each other, with the road and with traffic signals. Autos and trucks of the future will use vision enhancement devices to help you navigate through bad weather and warn you of a possible collision with a pedestrian or animal. They will also let you know if you are getting drowsy or straying from your lane. Cars of the future will be radically different than the automobiles of today, and so will the driving experience.

Accident Free Driving

Obstacle detection, collision avoidance and intersection warning systems are being tested right now by governments and automobile manufacturers. Radio signals, sensors and cameras, future vehicles will help avoid accidents by examining the environment in real time and notifying the driver of potential problems.

Pedestrian and animal warning systems could use infrared or other detection technologies to identify large animals approaching the roadway, and alert drivers by activating flashers on warning signs. These systems may also activate in-vehicle warning devices.

Autos That Talk and Listen

While you are driving, your vehicles will communicate with the cars and trucks around you. Your future car will notify you when trucks are merging into your lane or motorcycles are in your blind spot. Smart intersections will sense vehicles from all directions and alert you of a possible collision.

Vision Enhancement

In vehicle Vision Enhancement Systems will improve visibility for night driving, inadequate lighting, fog, drifting snow, or other inclement weather driving conditions

User Interface

Cars of the future will do a better job of keeping your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. Voice recognition will provide a hands free way of accessing your on board computer and navigation system. But your on board computer may do more than talk back.

Haptic interfaces are human/computer interfaces. Haptics exploits human behavior, since people are more likely to pay attention to tactile cues than visual cues. With haptic interfaces, a computer could receive or convey information through touch, pressure, force or vibration. For example, sensors embedded in the exterior of a car could feel if it's veering too close to another vehicle. That message could be relayed to the driver's seat, which could alert the driver to the danger with a tap on the shoulder.

Nanotechnology Drives Fuel Efficient Engine Oil

A high-tech lubricant hailed the ‘holy grail of vehicle oil’ has been launched at an industry event at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.

The London firm behind the venture – NanoBoron UK – says the oil has been scientifically proven to improve fuel consumption more than 10 per cent, reduce engine wear and corrosion and help the environment.

The firm’s technical manager Dr Mounir Adjrad said: “BORPower is an oil additive scientifically proven in Europe, the US and now the UK to improve consumption.

“Launched at the Bus Expo show at the NEC after UK trials by vehicle engineering test specialists at the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) research facility it produced fuel consumption savings of over 10 per cent.

“In other words the cost of a litre of diesel for BORPower users would be reduced from £1.14 to £1.03 or the trip from London to Edinburgh will be reduced from 330 to 297 miles.

“In the average year, a fleet of ten 18-tonne vehicles developing 230 hp operating at 50,000 miles each could save £20,538 based on a 12.6 mpg per vehicle. From owner-operators to fleet managers, achieving reduction of costs especially with the current volatile fuel prices, is a major headache and many will have heard of so-called ‘additives.’ However, BORPower is different.”

Dr Adjrad said the oil was the only product “with publicly declared tests and certificates from around the world, performed by independent organisations showing a reduction in fuel consumption based scientific formula, approved by vehicle bodies and governments.”

He said: “It is based on a physical process, not involving any chemical reaction with the engine oil, making BORPower non-toxic, non-acidic, and environmentally-friendly. Other products last from 1,000 to 25,000 miles whereas BORPower lasts up to 40,000 miles.

“The quality and effectiveness of BORPower has been validated several times by accredited industrial and scientific research and testing facilities in the USA and Europe and the UK.

“Each facility, including Southwest Research Institute San Antonio Texas, USA and TÜV NORD Germany (Technical Inspection Agency), Hanover, found BORPower improved fuel efficiency up to 15 per cent.”

He said BORPower was the combination of the use of the chemical element Boron and nanotechnology.

“Nanotechnology is the relatively unknown but growing field dealing with the tiny world of atoms and molecules. One nanometer (nm) is one billionth, or 10-9 of a metre. The comparative size of a nanometer to a metre is the same as that of a marble to the size of the earth. Checking over the periodic table Boron has the symbol B, atomic number 5, has a small density, and is very heat resistant. The raw boron goes through the nanotechnology process and becomes boron diamond powder, frequently called the ‘brother of diamond’ due to its hardness of 9.3 Mohs, just below the diamond (10 Mohs) the hardest substance known to man.”

He said BORPower worked by building boron metal films in the engine’s inner parts which prevents direct contact between the frictional surfaces responsible for abrasion, friction and heat.

“BORPower helps by cooling down these frictional surfaces and sealing them.” Announcing the launch of BORPower in the UK, NanoBoron UK Director Ismail Cikci said: “In today’s volatile financial markets businesses need to save every penny. After comprehensive trials across the globe we are the only company to publicly declare independent test results which confirm BORPower works to save money.”

'Formula Zero' kart race could drive fuel cell technology

The world's first international fuel-cell-powered go-kart race took place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Saturday. Six teams participated in the “Formula Zero” event, which is aiming to be a zero-emissions alternative to today's high-performance “Formula 1” car races.

The six teams used go-karts powered by fuel cells, which electrochemically combine hydrogen with atmospheric oxygen to produce electrical power and an exhaust of pure water, producing zero carbon-dioxide emissions.

But instead of the fuel cells charging a battery, as called for in designs for fuel-cell-powered road cars, the cells charged supercapacitors. These devices, which store energy in the electric field between two conducting plates, discharge more quickly than batteries, giving the karts more kick.

The race had two components – an endurance event and a sprint. For the endurance event, karts had to complete six laps of a 533-metre-long track in the fastest time possible. For the sprint, karts were timed as they completed one lap after a flying start, where they started accelerating before the beginning of the lap.

A team called EuplatecH2 from Zaragoza, Spain, won the sprint, finishing one lap in just over 36 seconds, sustaining an average speed of 53 kilometres per hour.

Engine / Gearbox

The engine and transmission of a modern Formula One car are some of the most highly stressed pieces of machinery on the planet, and the competition to have the most power on the grid is still intense.

Traditionally, the development of racing engines has always held to the dictum of the great automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche that the perfect race car crosses the finish line in first place and then falls to pieces. Although this is no longer strictly true - regulations now require engines to last more than one race weekend - designing modern Formula One engines remains a balancing act between the power that can be extracted and the need for just enough durability.

Engine power outputs in Formula One racing are also a fascinating insight into how far the sport has moved on. In the 1950s Formula One cars were managing specific power outputs of around 100 bhp / litre (about what a modern 'performance' road car can manage now). That figure rose steadily until the arrival of the 'turbo age' of 1.5 litre turbo engines, some of which were producing anything up to 750 bhp / litre. Then, once the sport returned to normal aspiration in 1989 that figure fell back, before steadily rising again. The 'power battle' of the last few years saw outputs creep back towards the 1000 bhp barrier, some teams producing more than 300 bhp / litre in 2005, the final year of 3 litre V10 engines. Since 2006, the regulations have required the use of 2.4 litre V8 engines, with power outputs falling around 20 percent.

Revving to 19,000 RPM, a modern Formula One engine will consume a phenomenal 650 litres of air every second, with race fuel consumption typically around the 75 l/100 km (4 mpg) mark. Revving at such massive speeds equates to an accelerative force on the pistons of nearly 9000 times gravity. Unsurprisingly, engine-related failures remain one of the most common causes of retirements in races.

Modern Formula One engines owe little except their fundamental design of cylinders, pistons and valves to road-car engines. The engine is a stressed component within the car, bolting to the carbon fibre 'tub' and having the transmission and rear suspension bolted to it in turn. Therefore it has to be enormously strong. A conflicting demand is that it should be light, compact and with its mass in as low a position as possible, to help reduce the car's centre of gravity and to enable the height of rear bodywork to be minimised.

The gearboxes of modern Formula One cars are now highly automated with drivers selecting gears via paddles fitted behind the steering wheel. The 'sequential' gearboxes used are very similar in principle to those of motorbikes, allowing gear changes to be made far faster than with the traditional ‘H’ gate selector, with the gearbox selectors operated electrically. Despite such high levels of technology, fully automatic transmission systems, and gearbox-related wizardry such as launch control, are illegal - a measure designed to keep costs down and place more emphasis on driver skill. Transmissions - most teams run seven-speed units - bolt directly to the back of the engine.

Mindful of the massive cost of these ultra high-tech powertrains, the FIA introduced new regulations in 2005 limiting each car to one engine per two Grand Prix weekends, with ten-place grid penalties for those breaking the rule. From 2008, a similar policy was applied to gearboxes, each having to last four race weekends. On top of these measures, a freeze on engine development imposed at the end of the 2006 season means teams are unable to alter the fundamentals of their engines’ design until at least 2010.