Time_02112
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Of course the use of applied nannotechnology has a zillion applications, but in order to create an efficient portable power supply for a portablte "Time Machine" (if one were to be created.) we must explore what nannotechnology has to offer.
*Dr. Kevin Rhoads, MIT. "What's Micro/Nanotechnology All About, Anyway?"
(Appendix B, page 5)
Dr. Rhoads provided an excellent introduction to nanotechnology and discussed some of its applications. He began by giving his audience an understanding of nano scale by illustrating a range of positive and negative exponential functions of the number "10." A nanosecond is one billionth of a second. In scaling up to understand better, he stated that a billion seconds is about 31.7 years.
Dr. Rhoads then asked the question "Why does structure at fine scale interest people?" It is because fine scale structure changes the properties of materials and the performance of devices at human scale. He talked about nylon and silk, stated how they were almost identical in chemistry, and that the development of nylon, an artificial material, was one of the great triumphs of polymer chemistry in this century. Nylon has more strength than silk and its surface is smooth. To create an evening gown, use silk. To make a parachute, use nylon.
He then made a similar comparison of iron and steel, and talked about how without changing composition, steel can be made softer or harder just by heat-treating, or cold-working. The steel industry, in fact, is based upon controlling materials' properties by controlling the microstructure.
Dr. Rhoads also talked about bullet proof glass, a product obtained by chemical tempering of the molecular structure. It is created by chemical tempering to compress the molecular structure of the surface to such a degree that almost nothing can penetrate it and it is almost impossible to break. He stated that nanotechnology could just as well be called "molecular technology."
He then cited fibers as an example of milli-scale structure, metals as an example of micro-scale structure, and glass as an example of a nano-scale structure. He pointed out how in all three cases, structure at fine scale controls properties at the human scale.
In discussing microtechnology and nanotechnology in today's world, Dr. Rhoads described how microtechnology is used widely in electronics, and in applications of the chemical, physical, mechanical and electromechanical. Nanotechnology is beginning to come into its own.
He showed a slide describing electronics microtechnology as an enabling technology for transportation in such applications as smart sensors and microcontrollers for air bags, smart antilock brakes, and engine controls for fuel efficiency and pollution reduction. He talked of how communications information controllers and microcontrollers are used in cell phones, GPS receivers, automatic toll collection, positive train control, Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems and in air traffic control. He discussed some uses of smart sensors, microcontrollers, communications information controllers, and talked of other microtechnologies and their applications in mechanical, electromechanical, physical, optical, and chemical areas.
Dr. Rhoads then shifted to a consideration of water and its nano-scale properties, the area of his research at MIT. He talked of water's unique and useful properties, and some of its important uses, all of which are common knowledge. He mentioned the phenomenon of the aqueous double-layer with water, which means that at every interface between water and other substances, at least one nano-scale structure forms, i.e., the aqueous double-layer. Water becomes "amazingly" different at this interface, i.e., it has a lower dielectric constant, exhibits radically changed solvation properties, and has highly oriented molecules. Dr. Rhoads concluded by talking of the nano-scale structure of water under an electric field induced orientation.
http://scitech.dot.gov/seminar.html
<This message has been edited by Time02112 (edited 24 November 2000).>
*Dr. Kevin Rhoads, MIT. "What's Micro/Nanotechnology All About, Anyway?"
(Appendix B, page 5)
Dr. Rhoads provided an excellent introduction to nanotechnology and discussed some of its applications. He began by giving his audience an understanding of nano scale by illustrating a range of positive and negative exponential functions of the number "10." A nanosecond is one billionth of a second. In scaling up to understand better, he stated that a billion seconds is about 31.7 years.
Dr. Rhoads then asked the question "Why does structure at fine scale interest people?" It is because fine scale structure changes the properties of materials and the performance of devices at human scale. He talked about nylon and silk, stated how they were almost identical in chemistry, and that the development of nylon, an artificial material, was one of the great triumphs of polymer chemistry in this century. Nylon has more strength than silk and its surface is smooth. To create an evening gown, use silk. To make a parachute, use nylon.
He then made a similar comparison of iron and steel, and talked about how without changing composition, steel can be made softer or harder just by heat-treating, or cold-working. The steel industry, in fact, is based upon controlling materials' properties by controlling the microstructure.
Dr. Rhoads also talked about bullet proof glass, a product obtained by chemical tempering of the molecular structure. It is created by chemical tempering to compress the molecular structure of the surface to such a degree that almost nothing can penetrate it and it is almost impossible to break. He stated that nanotechnology could just as well be called "molecular technology."
He then cited fibers as an example of milli-scale structure, metals as an example of micro-scale structure, and glass as an example of a nano-scale structure. He pointed out how in all three cases, structure at fine scale controls properties at the human scale.
In discussing microtechnology and nanotechnology in today's world, Dr. Rhoads described how microtechnology is used widely in electronics, and in applications of the chemical, physical, mechanical and electromechanical. Nanotechnology is beginning to come into its own.
He showed a slide describing electronics microtechnology as an enabling technology for transportation in such applications as smart sensors and microcontrollers for air bags, smart antilock brakes, and engine controls for fuel efficiency and pollution reduction. He talked of how communications information controllers and microcontrollers are used in cell phones, GPS receivers, automatic toll collection, positive train control, Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems and in air traffic control. He discussed some uses of smart sensors, microcontrollers, communications information controllers, and talked of other microtechnologies and their applications in mechanical, electromechanical, physical, optical, and chemical areas.
Dr. Rhoads then shifted to a consideration of water and its nano-scale properties, the area of his research at MIT. He talked of water's unique and useful properties, and some of its important uses, all of which are common knowledge. He mentioned the phenomenon of the aqueous double-layer with water, which means that at every interface between water and other substances, at least one nano-scale structure forms, i.e., the aqueous double-layer. Water becomes "amazingly" different at this interface, i.e., it has a lower dielectric constant, exhibits radically changed solvation properties, and has highly oriented molecules. Dr. Rhoads concluded by talking of the nano-scale structure of water under an electric field induced orientation.
http://scitech.dot.gov/seminar.html
<This message has been edited by Time02112 (edited 24 November 2000).>
Oh, welcome!
