Soft Machines: Nanotechnology and LifeEnthusiasts look forward to a time when tiny machines reassemble matter and process information with unparalleled power and precision. But is their vision realistic? Where is the science heading? As nanotechnology (a new technology that many believe will transform society in the next on hundred years) rises higher in the news agenda and popular consciousness, there is a real need for a book which discusses clearly the science on which this technology will be based. Whilst it is most easy to simply imagine these tiny machines as scaled-down versions of the macroscopic machines we are all familiar with, the way things behave on small scales is quite different to the way they behave on large scales. Engineering on the nanoscale will use very different principles to those we are used to in our everyday lives, and the materials used in nanotehnology will be soft and mutable, rather than hard and unyielding. Soft Machines explains in a lively and very accessible manner why the nanoworld is so different to the macro-world which we are all familiar with. Why does nature engineer things in the way it does, and how can we learn to use these unfamiliar principles to create valuable new materials and artefacts which will have a profound effect on medicine, electronics, energy and the environment in the twenty-first century. With a firmer understanding of the likely relationship between nanotechnology and nature itself, we can gain a much clearer notion of what dangers this powerful technology may potentially pose, as well as come to realize that nanotechnology will have more in common with biology than with conventional engineering. |
Contents
Fantastic voyages | 1 |
Looking at the nanoworld | 15 |
Nanofabrication | 38 |
Copyright | |
9 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
acids atomic force microscope bacteria bacterium biology bonds Brownian motion carbon atoms chain chemical energy circuits collisions complex components convert devices dye molecules effect efficient electrical electron beam lithography electron-hole pair entropy environment exploit fluid fold force fullerenes going Grätzel heat hydrogen ions imagine input interactions kind laser layer light light-emitting diode machines material membrane metal micron microscope molecular electronics molecular motors move myosin nanometres nanoscale nanotechnology nanotubes nanoworld organisms particles pattern photosynthesis photosynthetic reaction centre physics piece polyacetylene possible potential principle properties protein molecule quantum mechanics random reaction result robot rubber scale scanning scientists segments self-assembly semiconducting polymer semiconductor sequence shape signals silicon simple single molecule soap soft soft machines solar cells solution stick structure surface synthetic temperature things three-dimensional transistor voltage water molecules wavelength waves wire