🚀 go-pugleaf

hagerman@ece.cmu.edu (John Hagerman) writes:

>How might nanotechnology contribute to
>bulk chemical processes?

Even early nanotech can contribute in a myriad of ways.  For
example, catalysts need to have structures precisely designed 
to trap certain kinds of molecules, let others flow through, 
and keep still others out, all without getting clogged or 
poisoned.  Currently these catalysts are built by growing 
crystals of the right spacing in bulk.  Sometimes catalysts
come from biotech, for example the bacteria used to grow
the corn syrup in soda pop.  Within this millenium (only 7.1
years left!) I predict we will start to see catalysts built 
by new techniques of nanolithography, including AFM machining, 
AFM arrays and nanoresists (see my previous article, "Nanolithography" 
for more details).  Catalysts are critical to the oil industry, 
the chemical industry and to pollution control -- the worldwide 
market is in the $100's of billions per year and growing rapidly.

Beyond new catalysts, I see a big market for micron-size chemical
reactors.  Their first use may be in artificial organs to produce 
various biological molecules.  For example, they might replace or 
augment the functionality of the kidneys, pancreas, liver, thyroid 
gland, etc. They might produce psychoactive chemicals inside the
blood-brain barrier.  Microplants in space could manufacture 
propellant, a wide variety of industrial inputs and perform life 
support functions more efficiently.  Over 95% of the mass we now 
launch into space could be replaced by these materials produced from 
comets, asteroids, Mars, etc.  Even if Drexler's self-replicating 
assemblers are a long time in coming, nanolithographed tiny chemical 
reactors could open up the solar system.


-- 
Nick Szabo					 szabo@techboook.com