Wiki Nanotechnology

Although this term can be coined later in the future for a free open source nano technology, this post is about the information that wikipedia can give us about nanotechnology.

Wiki-ing for nanotechnology linked to some articles that are very good at describing to newcomers what nanotechnology is all about.

If your still asking yourself what nanotechnology is, then try wikipedia for a good answer, these are some of the nanotech topics that everyone should know about:

Wikipedia Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology comprises technological developments on the nanometer scale...

Bucky Balls

The fullerenes are a recently-discovered family of carbon allotropes. They are molecules composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube.

Molecular nanotechnology

Molecular nanotechnology (MNT) is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale[1]. An equivalent definition would be "machines at the molecular scale designed and built atom-by-atom".

Carbon nanotube

Carbon nanotubes are cylindrical carbon molecules with novel properties that make them potentially useful in a wide variety of applications (e.g., nano-electronics, optics, materials applications, etc.). They exhibit extraordinary strength and unique electrical properties, and are efficient conductors of heat. Inorganic nanotubes have also been synthesized.

Nanofactory

A nanofactory is a proposed system in which nanomachines (resembling molecular assemblers, or industrial robot arms) would combine reactive molecules via mechanosynthesis to build larger atomically precise parts. These, in turn, would be assembled by positioning mechanisms of assorted sizes to build macroscopic (visible) but still atomically-precise products.

Quantum dot

A quantum dot, also called a semiconductor nanocrystal, is a semiconductor crystal whose size is on the order of just a few nanometers.

Self-assembly

Self-assembly is the fundamental principle which generates structural organization on all scales from molecules to galaxies. It is defined as reversible processes in which pre-existing parts or disordered components of a preexisting system form structures of patterns.

Smartdust

Smartdust is a hypothetical network of tiny wireless microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors, robots, or devices, installed with wireless communications, that can detect anything from light and temperature, to vibrations, etc.

Nanorod

In nanotechnology, nanorods are one morphology of nanoscale objects.

Grey goo

The Infamous Grey Goo ;)

Waiting for new highs

The Nanotech index failed to get into new highs this month but the performance is still good, even if below the Lux Nanotech ETF.



Individual nanotech related stocks aren't doing much now, but as soon as we see some new technical patterns I'll update the charts.

There are still plenty of news to read everyday, this time a new breakthru with simulationd on tooltip designs for molecular manufacturing, that seem to work in more than just theory:
Diamond Mechanosynthesis

NANOIMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY 'RULES' CREATED

Ceramic for nanoelectronics?

LG laptop stays cool with carbon nanotubes

PXN into new highs

Yesterday the Powershares Lux Nanotech ETF (PXN - AMEX) was close to new year highs but today we finally have a decent breakout above the old resistance point with some decent volume to back it up.
The small nanotech industry is still an emerging market but already overperforming above the other market sectors.
Here is today's chart:


You can get more information on PXN here

I've found some other nanotech related companies that have attractive charts. Just remember these are small cap stocks with low volume. Keep always in mind the long term moves and not daytrading...
Amcol Intl Corp.

Nanophase Technologies Corp.

Veeco Instruments, Inc.

Nanotech market performance and the molecular manufacturing future

As soon as the NASDAQ and S&P 500 get into new highs this year, we should see the nanotech index and ETF (PXN) go with the same bullish trend and keep breaking new performance records for this year.

Powershares Lux Nanotech ETF (PXN - AMEX) chart:


About the Productive Nanosystems film that was released on the net and some commentaries left on the Nano Dot site.

Biology and evolution may have the only correct and pratical answer to the molecular manufacturing problems we have today.

The commentary of anonimouse really brings some questions to the table.
I do believe that we should go and replicate the way biology handles molecular manufacturing and avoid making serious mistakes by trying to replicate the old production line method.

Anonimouse comment:

...
Macro production lines are set up by engineers and technicians using their hands and eyes, in good light, to get things working. Then they can turn out the lights and let things run until something breaks. But even when the lights are out, the production line has its own sensors and limit switches to provide sensory feedback; without them it can’t run.

Engineers and technicians need sensory feedback loops (eyes, ears, and hands) and macro-scale actuators (hands and tools) to set things up and running, based on a design. The power for setup is provided by human muscles, electric motors (DeWalt), and petroleum-fueled motors (Caterpillar).

The movie shows a factory that can’t be set up in the first place, because there’s no sensory feedback loop available to do the setup, and no tools to do the setup.

In contrast, biology works because evolution provides the sensory feedback loop (survive and breed, or not) to set up the machinery through many generations of modification-trial and failure-culling/success-reproduction, and random motion of complicated molecules in water provides the actuation to set up the machinery. Chemical reactions in water provide the power both for setting up the machinery and for running the machinery.

Read it here

New posts on Responsible Nanotechnology:

Two new papers written by Eric Drexler, published in scientific journals:
Drexler on Physics and Computation

Nanoscale Assembly Line Control

Total Flake, or Genius?

ISE-CCM Nanotechnology Index

I didn't even knew that CCM had a nanotech index, let's just hope these newborn indexes/ETF's get some attention and eventually some volume so we can invest in a much needed liquid environment...

The ISE-CCM Nanotechnology Index (ISE: TNY) was up 15.43% for the year to date, versus 4.21% for the S&P 500, 4.24 % for the DJIA, and 6.37% for the Nasdaq.
ISE-CCM Nanotechnology Index Outperforms Broad Market Indexes Year to Date

Couple of new articles and nanotech issues have been coming up, I'll try to make some comments on them, soon on this blog.

Meanwhile I've found yet another nanotech blog, from the nanotechnology.com editors:
Steve Edwards Blog

Nano updates

Brief comment on the $NNZ, UTEK and a couple of articles

The Nanotech Index($NNZ) didn't go too far this last week but it just might resume it's trend if the NASDAQ and S&P500 continue their trends.


UTEK is one of the components of the $NNZ and the charts looks promising, going up into new highs since '04

Ultratech, Inc.(UTEK) develops, manufactures and markets photolithography, and laser thermal processing equipment.
You can get plenty of information from this company in Google finance

The CRN Blog just keeps pumping out some great reading, so here it is:
Nanotech Consumer Products
Trends in (Nano)Medicine

And one "shocking" news from IBM (dated 1st of April):
Nanotechnology Disproved!!!