Nanosystems : molecular machinery, manufacturing, and computation
"Written by a leading researcher in the field and one of its founders, Nanosystems is the first technical introduction to molecular nanotechnology - an emerging field that has sparked increasing interest and controversy. This groundbreaking book describes fundamental physical principles, components and devices, then examines applications including computers of unprecedented power and manufacturing systems able to build such products molecule by molecule." "Nanosystems presents a comprehensive overview of how molecular manufacturing will make products by using nanoscale (billionths of a meter) mechanical and robotic technologies to guide the placement of molecules and atoms. Working with these fundamental building blocks of matter will enable designers to approach the limits of the possible: to build the smallest devices, the fastest computers, the strongest materials, and the highest quality products. By manipulating common molecules at high frequency, molecular manufacturing will make these products quickly, inexpensively, and on a large scale. Molecular manufacturing is the key to implementing molecular nanotechnologies, building systems to complex atomic specifications." "This landmark work first presents the basic principles of physics and chemistry required to understand molecular machines. Then, Dr. Drexler describes computational models of molecules as mechanical systems, the effects of statistical mechanics, quantum uncertainty, damage mechanisms, and energy dissipation, and the fundamentals of mechanosynthesis - the use of mechanical devices to guide molecular reactions."
xx, 556 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm
9780471575474, 9780471575184, 047157547X, 0471575186
26503231
Preface
Introduction and overview
Part I: Physical principles. Classical magnitudes and scaling laws ; Potential energy surfaces ; Molecular dynamics ; Positional uncertainty ; Transitions, errors, and damage ; Energy dissipation ; Mechanosynthesis
Part II: Components and systems. Nanoscale structural components ; Mobile interfaces and moving parts ; Intermediate subsystems ; Nanomechanical computational systems ; Molecular sorting, processing, and assembly ; Molecular manufacturing systems
Part III: Implementation strategies. Macromolecular engineering ; Paths to molecular manufacturing
Appendix A: Methodological issues in theoretical applied science
Appendix B: Related research
Afterword
Symbols, units, and constants
Glossary
"A Wiley-Interscience publication."