By: Tyler Berberich

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• By Tyler Berberich
• Chicago-Kent College of Law
• tyler.berberich_at_gmail.com

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Nanotechnology Basics

• Working at the atomic, molecular, and
  supramolecular levels
• Length scale of approximately 1-100 nm range
• Goal To create and use materials, devices, and
  systems with fundamentally new properties and
  functions because of their small structure

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Small Scale

• Nanometer 1 billionth of a meter
• Each Nanometer is only 3-5 atoms wide

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Bottom-Up Approach

• Concept introduced by Eric Drexler
• Process of building things atom by atom to
  decrease waste and increase reactivity

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1. Nanogloss.com
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Nanofactories
Nanofactory Movie http//www.youtube.com/watch?vv
EYN18d7gHg

• To build a nanofactory, you need to start with a
  working fabricator, a nanoscale device that can
  combine individual molecules into useful shapes.
• A fabricator could build a very small
  nanofactory, which could build another one twice
  as big, and so on. Within a period of weeks, you
  have a personal desktop model.
• Products made by a nanofactory will be assembled
  from nanoblocks, which will be fabricated within
  the nanofactory. Some believe that the product
  that comes out of the nanofactory will be a
  mostly-solid block or brick that will unfold like
  a pop-up book or inflate like an air mattress.
• Computer aided design (CAD) programs will make it
  possible to create state-of-the-art products
  simply by specifying a pattern of predesigned
  nanoblocks.

Edit this and add more info http//www.crnano.org/
bootstrap.htm
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Nanofactory Products

• Anything from super-powerful laptop computers to
  high powered batteries to extraordinarily strong
  machines, etc.

Vision of a future desktop nanofactory
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Uses of Nanotechnology

• Uses of Nanotechnology can be found everywhere
• Solar power, batteries, weapons, tool design and
  manufacture just about anywhere you look,
  nanotechnology could play a future role
• Because there are so many uses, they must be
  narrowed here. This presentation will focus on
  nanotechnology use in batteries, solar energy,
  and hydrogen production

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Nanotechnology in Solar Energy

• Basics of photovoltaic cells

a. Encapsulate b. Contact Grid c.
Antireflective Coating d. N-type Silicon e.
P-type Silicon
specmat.com
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specmat.com
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Howstuffworks.com
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Nanotech Improvement of Solar Energy

• The primary problem with current solar energy
  systems is their relative inefficiency
• The most advanced solar cells can only make use
  of 10 to 30 percent of the available solar energy
  hitting the solar cells

technologynewsdaily.com
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Dye Sensitive Solar Cells With Nanotube Coatings

• Researchers at Penn State University are focusing
  on the use of titania nanotubes and natural dye
  in an attempt to make more cost-effective solar
  energy

www.physorg.com
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Issues with Dye Sensitive Nanotube Cells

• Thickness of titanium layer too thin
• Thickness of spacers too thick

Titanium Layer
Spacers
www.physorg.com
http//www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/18259/
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Greater Efficiency of Nanotech

• Nanocrystals
• More electrons 3 to 1
• More energy prduced

Regular Solar
Nanocrystals
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Better Light Collecting Capability

• Nanoscale Antennae
• DNA scaffold
• Increase photon absorption
• Issue
• Energy lost in transportation
• Possible Solution
• DNA controlled antennae placement

See http//www.technologynewsdaily.com/node/4856
for further info
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Current Progress in Solar Nanotech

• 6 efficiency in plastic solar cells
• Benefits of plastic cells
• Flexible
• Wrapable
• Home use
• Possible uses
• Roofing
• Automobiles
• Soldiers

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Nanotech in Batteries
www.altairnano.com
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Batteries, the Basics
http//electronics.howstuffworks.com/lithium-ion-b
attery1.htm
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Batteries, the Basics Contd
http//electronics.howstuffworks.com/lithium-ion-b
attery1.htm
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Toshiba Quick Charge Battery

• Normal lithium ion batteries bottleneck during
  recharge if done too quickly
• Can cause serious effects, even explosions
• This battery is said to recharge to 80 in one
  minute and 100 in under 10
• For industrial and automotive uses

http//www.technewsworld.com/story/hardware/41889.
html
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Nano PossibilitiesAltair Technology NanoSafe
Battery

• Longer Battery Life
• Potentially up to 20 years
• Faster Recharge
• Potential to recharge in minutes
• Higher and Lower Operating Temperatures
• From -50C/-60F to 75C/165F
• Higher Power Output
• Potentially 4 times greater than current lithium
  ion rechargeable battery capability

www.altairnano.com
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Revolutionary Battery Electrodes

• For use in the automotive or other industries
  that are looking for a reasonably priced, high
  power battery
• More power and a high rate of discharge -key
  requirements
• Hybrid batteries or other applications that
  require quick bursts of power
• Electrode production system allows for the use of
  low cost raw materials and eliminates the need
  for undesirable additives such as binders and
  solvents that can slow a battery's rate of power
  output
• It could enable exploration into other areas,
  such as fuel cells, super capacitors and even
  electronic wires, all of which will benefit from
  the high discharge rates and other performance
  and cost advantages of this nanotechnology

http//www.voyle.net/Nano20Battery/Nano20Battery
202005-0004.htm
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Hydrogen Production

• Hydrogen is currently produced in a number of
  different ways
• Problems with two current means of hydrogen
  production
• Electrolysis
• Using Electricity Powered primarily by burning
  fossil fuels
• Steam Reforming
• Creates unacceptable amounts of carbon monoxide

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Hydrogen Production

• Researchers at Penn State are using titania
  nanotubes in solar cells to create hyrdogen
• Put water in separate the parts

http//www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID1806
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Another Current Hydrogen Issue

• For cars, 4 kilograms compressed hydrogen
  approx. 300 miles
• Would need a 50 gallon drum in the car
• Very volatile
• Storage ability must roughly double to reach
  engineering viability
• Material processing must also be cheaper

https//public.ornl.gov/conf/nanosummit2004/talks/
4_Jorgensen.ppt
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Nanotech Safe Hydrogen Storage

• Still in exploration and early stages of research
• May be able to store hydrogen in safe, light
  packages which allow for greater heat flow
• Researchers trying to determine which
  nano-materials would be best

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Possible Problems with Nanotechnology

• Disruption of economic structure
• Products at the nano level may be cheap to create
  and may require very little human labor
• Devaluing material and human resources
• Security Issues
• Extremely small fully functional devices may
  become a security concern for the war on
  terrorism
• Possible nanotech arms race

http//www.crnano.org/dangers.htmeconomy
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Further Concerns

• Possible instability of certain nanostructures
• Researchers at Vanderbilt University have raised
  concerns over soccer ball shaped buckeyballs
  when dissolved in water
• Buckyball Danger?
• Researchers claim they may have revealed a
  potentially serious problem Buckyballs have a
  potentially adverse effect on the structure,
  stability and biological functions of DNA
  molecules.
• Could this happen in our bodies?

http//www.voyle.net/Nano20Debate202005/Nano20D
ebate202005-0040.htm
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Greatest Challenges to Nanotech

• Materials are hard to handle and difficult to
  keep stable
• Understanding nano material characteristics
• A single particle silicon will no longer act like
  bulk silicon
• Depends on size, shape, and environment of the
  particle

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Conclusion

• Nanotechnology has to potential to revolutionize
  the US energy system. From fuel cells, to cell
  phone batteries, to space equipment, and
  everywhere in between nanotechnology can be
  utilized
• But, there is still a lot of research to be done
  and many hurdles to cross to make this
  technology commercially practicable