Into the future ! (Test)

Nanoscience, this word is flying just about in every media today. However, the science it represents is the science of tomorrow. Apart from very simple applications like unscratchable paints and glasses that need no cleaning etc., nanoscience is still much in its infancy. However it is growing, and its growing so fast that we may even see it mature to its adolescence in just a few decades.

Novel devices that will alter the lives of all of us in future will be smaller than a billionth of a meter. Objects at that scale is plainly called a nanometer in length. The science itself derives its name from that diminished dimension. Already in various fields of technology miniaturization has been the focus. As an example, just consider the change that we have observed in the sheer size of personal computers and their computing power. From Mark I to modern day tiny smart phones, the processors that control the devices have grown to be faster and smaller. In the sphere of semiconductors, Moore's law predicts the number of transistors will double every two years in an Integrated Circuit. But traditional top-down techinques of micromachining and lithography wont be able to sustain the demands prophesized by Moore. Only other option will be to follow the bottom-up approach where we build the near future ICs with molecules.

To elucidate the concepts of top-down and bottom-up approaches more clearly, we can take example of a statue and a Lego model. Top-down approach repsents the carving a statue from a large piece of rock by chiseling away the rock's material. Bottom-up approach can be repectively represented by a joining the Lego building blocks to form a model. The main difference being in size, no matter ho hard you try, a top down method has limits. The process of lithography itelf is limited by wavelengths of the light used. Together with it, effective structuring a patterns on a semiconductor wafer is also heavily impaired by flaws in deposition techniques and HF etching processes. So the growing complexities due to increasing miniaturization are the major challenges that IC technologies face today. On the other hand, if the structures are built from smaller components like atoms and molecules, it ensures a great deal of cost effectiveness due to reduced material loss. Together with it, extremely small sizing of the devices, never possible with traditional clean room technologies can also be achieved simply without much hassle through nature's gifts like self assembly processes.

The question that may arise in many minds might be how does one control such a process, or even see things that small? Fortunately in the early 80s scientist in IBM Zurich invented the first Scanning Tunneling Micrsocope and within a few years the whole world observed the first atomic resolution image. By this its meant that first images were produced that could resolve structures of single atom arrays in a metal crystal lattice. Rightfully awarded the Nobel Prize within a few years, the scientists had opened doors to the realm of atoms and molecules. The machine could not only image the invisible, but could also transfer the molcules spatially and alter the properties of the sample, both elcetronic and chemical. From then onwards scientists were able to see and manipulate the various structures and funtionalities of various natural, synthesized, inorganic and biological molecules. The myriad different molecules and particles could now be used create protypes of technologies that the same material would never be able to in bulk. At that scale, quantum mechanics naturally dominates the characteristics of matter completely.

Coming up to 2010, nanoscience has diversified so much that it no longer represents a small school of scientists working on tiny molcules. It has grown to such proportions that one researcher in surface nanoscience might not understand the works of others who work for instance in DNA origamy or even Petide nanoarchitechtures. The science has already gone through ramifications into various fields ranging from medicine, energy, photonics, communication, food science to even structural and space related technologies.

One particular example would be the research in the field of Porphyrin molecules. This unique molecule is the main component of many life related aspects like chlorophyll for photosynthesis, red blood cells in animals and even Vitamin B12. The same molecule in nanoscience has shown promises of being able to function as molecular switches that may one day act as a very small and effective transistors. It has also exhibited very good prospects of being a good solar energy harnessing molecule. Further examples would be its possible applications as chemical sensors and even as molecular vehicles. Another example would be the magic of carbon nanotubes that have the impossibly strong structural attributes as well as electrical conductivity as no material in room temperature ever before. Today nanoparticles have shown tremendous fuctionalities that may very soon be used to cure any diseases like Cancer and HIV. We may even be able to say goodbye to the impending environmental and energy crises. The research in DNA nanotechnology has also led science to a point where mankind has been able to fabricate amazing 2D and 3D architectures for many different applications imaginable.

For many doomsayers, nanoscience may also represent the end of the world, but I say we should confide in the optimism and judgement of mankind. Of course, almost anything that science has ever given birth to can be misused if fallen into wrong hands. But that doesn't mean we should regress back to the stone age. Nanoscience is as dynamic as the time itself and what awaits us in future in yet to be unveiled. Ironically enough, the outcomes of Nanoscience may change everything that we see but the agents of this change can't be seen with naked eyes.

-Sushobhan Joshi