Nanotechnology:Opportunities and Impactsof a Scientific Revolution

National Conference of State LegislaturesNashville, TennesseeAugust 16, 2006

James B. RobertoDeputy Director for Science and TechnologyOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak Ridge, Tennessee

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Nanotechnology: Opportunities andimpacts of a scientific revolution

• What is nanotechnology?

• The tools of nanotechnology

• Nanotech in the 21st Century

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Feynman’s vision:“There’s plenty of room at the bottom”

• Why can’t we manipulatematerials atom by atom?

• Why can’t we controlthe synthesis ofindividual molecules?

• Why can’t we writeall of human knowledgeon the head of a pin?

• Why can’t we build machines toaccomplish these things?

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Nature’s benchmarks

• DNA (50 atoms per bitof information)

• Molecular motors

• The human brain

! 100 trillion (1014)connections

! a million billion (1015) bitsof memory

! a million billion (1015)calculations per second

• Self-assembledcomposites (shells)

Dinosaur claw

Abalone shell

DNA

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

What is nanoscience

• A revolution in the way we lookat the physical world

• Allows the study of materialsat length scales whereproperties are determined

• Addresses materials behaviorat dimensions of 1-100 nm! Properties depend on size

(small is different)

! New and unexpected phenomena

! Requires atom-by-atom assembly

Interactions of proteinmolecules

Natural methane storagein clathrate molecules

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

• New tools for atomic-scale characterization

• New capabilities for single atom/molecule manipulation

• Computational access to large systems of atomsand long time scales

Why now?

DOE’s firstnanoscience center

World’s foremostneutron science center

Leadership-classcomputing

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is investing $2Bin world-class nanotech tools

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

World-class capabilities for nanotechnology at ORNL

The Spallation Neutron Source

• Nation’s largest civilian science project

• $1.4B in buildings and equipment

• World’s most powerful pulsed neutron source

• Nanoscale structure and dynamics of materialsand biological systems

• 1500-2000 scientific users annually

First neutrons

produced

April 28, 2006

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

World-class capabilities for nanotechnology at ORNL

The Center for NanophaseMaterials Sciences

• DOE’s first nanoscience center

• $65M in buildings and equipment

• State-of-the-art synthesis and characterization ofnanoscale materials and structures

• Available to universities and industry basedon competitive peer review

The CNMS is located nextto the Spallation Neutron Source

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

World-class capabilities for nanotechnology at ORNL

Leadership-class computing• Large-scale simulation

needed to predict materialsproperties and trends

• We are building the world’smost powerful computer forscientific research

• Predicting new materialsrather than explainingexisting ones

Designinginnovative

nanomaterials

Understandingmicrobial molecularand cellular systems

Building to 1 petaflop by 2008

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

The promise of nanotechnology

! More powerfulcomputers

! New materials 100times as strong ascurrent materials

! New approaches formedical diagnosis andtreatment

! New catalysts forcleaner, more efficientchemical and energyindustries

! New technologies forenergy production andconversion

! Fast chemical analyses

Metabolism of Celluloseby Enzymes

Molecular switches

DNA delivery

Magnetic nanoclusters

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

• Leverage $2 billionof new nano facilities

• Connect with world-classresearchers

• Access patented technology

• Plant the seedof a new business

• Recruit nano companiesand grow our own

• Build a pipeline of new talent

! Scientists and entrepreneurs

• Establish a Southern Alliancefor Nanotechnology

• Create a nano commercializationfacility to leverage existing researchfacilities

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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Nanotechnology in the 21st Century

• Dramatic advances at the frontiers of physics,chemistry, materials sciences, and biology

• New products and services for medicine, materials,information technology, energy, environment,biotechnology, and national security

• Broad engagement of the publicto address societal implications

Nanoscience will change the natureof almost every human-made objectin the next century.

National Science and Technology Council, 2000