Energy, Environment and Resources Center

Jack Barkenbus EERC Executive Director

FROM THE DIRECTOR………

Nanotechnology: The Next Big/Little Thing

Technological development, which has transformed the human condition so remarkably, shows no sign of abating. In fact, the pace of development is likely to accelerate during this, the 21st, century. At the forefront of this movement stands nanotechnology, described as the ability to work at the molecular level, atom-by-atom, to create materials and systems with fundamentally new functions and characteristics. Materials and structures produced are at the 1 to 100 nanometer scale—a nanometer being one billionth of a meter.

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are being made possible by breakthroughs in the use of newly developed tools such as the scanning tunneling microscope, the atomic force microscope, and the scanning probe microscope, which allow humans to view individual atoms and then manipulate them purposefully to create customized products containing unique and novel properties. The New York Times recently (6/17/03) heralded, for example, carbon nanotubes for possessing the strongest fibers known to man—four times tougher than spider silk and 20 times tougher than steel.

It is important to understand that nanotechnology is in its earliest days of commercial development and that there are very few (albeit a growing number of) products of nanotechnology on the market today. For now, these products focus primarily on making existing or familiar products better in some marginal way. Nano-composite sealants, for example, are extending the life of tennis balls. Nanoparticles can also be found in fabrics, which makes them more stain- and water-resistant, and in such consumer products as sun screen lotions to block damaging ultraviolet rays. Light-emitting diodes (placed in exit signs, for example) are based on nanotechnology semiconductor chips and provide a light source with unprecedented duration. While all of these developments are useful and intriguing, they’re not transformational from a societal perspective.

Yet, not too far in the wings looms the possibility of life-changing advances in the electronics and pharmaceutical industries. For example, electronic circuits, based perhaps on carbon nanotubes, hold the promise of taking the electronics industry well beyond where current technologies can go. These circuits will likely be manifest first in high-resolution display monitors, high-density data storage, and high-capacity computing.

Meanwhile, the pharmeceutical industry hopes to see the development of “smart pills” that can circulate in the body longer than conventional pills and deliver precise therapeutic doses at precise times. Other potential breakthroughs could emerge in energy (such as generation through cheap, but efficient, photovoltaic cells), environmental cleanup, and the military, where uniforms could be implanted with sensors to detect possible chemical and biological agents.

The outlook for product development is more obscure but also potentially more revolutionary when looking beyond the next 10 years. For instance, scientists may create molecular machines or assemblers that may be able to fabricate a huge variety of low-cost products. There is also discussion of creating nanobots (extremely small robots) that could be inserted into human bloodstreams, not only to monitor the body for early signs of disease, but to deliver cell-directed treatment. Considerable controversy already exists as to whether molecular manufacturing is possible, and, if possible, whether it is ultimately desirable.

Phillip Bond—a chief “cheerleader” for nanotechnology in his position as undersecretary for technology in the Department of Commerce—is said to have claimed in a Washington Post article, “This technology is coming, and it won’t be stopped.”

Well, before Mr. Bond and other enthusiasts get carried away, perhaps a little historical background is in order. Other technologies have come along for which scientists and entrepreneurs have shown equal enthusiasm but which the public has come to view with extreme caution. Three technologies immediately come to mind: asbestos, nuclear power, and genetically modified organisms. Each of these has failed to live up to its promise (as yet), because of inadequate attention to public concerns. With greater prosperity, we have become a more risk-averse society, and no technology, no matter how spectacular its potential will get a free ride. Grave concerns have already surfaced over toxicological, privacy, and human control issues associated with nanotechnology.

Historically, the Energy, Environment and Resources Center has examined the public-technology interface, and this expertise will again be brought to bear on the emerging field of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology’s future is too important to be left solely to commercial entrepreneurs.