Where does nanochemistry belong in the world of nanotech?
To get some insight into this new discipline, you might find this video describing the background to a researcher’s eureka moment well worth watching. It’s a talk by Geoffrey Ozin, widely regarded as the father of nanochemistry.
The science behind this talk is mostly about the principles of crystal photonics. It’s a study derived from and inspired by the phenomena which produce the hypnotic sparkling of opal gemstones and the spectacular hues of the iridescent blue butterfly.
Here’s a brief biography of the speaker:
Geoffrey Ozin studied at King’s College London and Oriel College Oxford University, before completing an ICI Postdoctoral Fellowship at Southampton University.
He is an Honorary Professor at The Royal Institution of Great Britain and University College London, External Advisor for the London Centre for Nanotechnology, Alexander von Humboldt Senor Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Surface and Colloid Science Potsdam. He’s also Guest Professor at the Centre for Functional Nanostructures at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
Over a four-decade career he has made important scientific and technological advances in Nanochemistry, which have help shape the course of Nanotechnology. He has made benchmark discoveries in the emerging fields of Nanomaterials, Nanoporous Materials and Photonic Crystals.
Through creative materials chemistry he developed novel architectures that control electrons and photons in unprecedented ways. This has led to some revolutionary materials technology’s with several potential applications, including better-performing solar cells for clean energy generation, more efficient photocatalysts to clean up pollutants, chromatography stationary phases for higher resolution molecule and biomolecule separations, improved biometric security, banknote anticounterfiet and authentification systems, smaller faster chips for more powerful computers, and a new kind of full color photonic crystal display.
Here’s his page on the Applied Brilliance Conference site.
Here’s a link to his current website, GAO Materials Chemistry Group, at the Lash Miller Chemical Laboratory, University of Toronto
I had heard about nanotechnology, but nanochemistry is new for me.
As I looked out for more information about it, I visited this page at Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanochemistry
“Nanochemistry is the use of synthetic chemistry to make nanoscale building blocks of desired shape, size, composition and surface structure, charge and functionality with an optional target to control self-assembly of these building blocks at various scale-lengths.”
I am still looking to know more about its uses.
Just wow! Possibilities are endless with one color that can change to any color you want it to – with just an impulse from outside, like an electric impulse highlighted in the video from the article above.
I know those are just begginings, with lots of tests and studies on the way, but this could really change any part of the industry I can think of, that creates goods for people.
Or maybe it is just an overexcitement? Maybe people rather have standard stuff, that you choose from others, on a base of coloring – among other factors?
As you said, it is just the beginning. It may provide new applications and choices.
Like you said about choice of color, we choose one color, as we need only one product. But it may allow us to purchase one product, which we can change to any color of our choice.
Sure, not denying the fact it may be useful. But in the same time, it takes away from us one of the factors when choosing a product – different color to someone that has it as well.
No doubt it creates tons of possibilities. Not only P-INK, but also (personally I think mainly) E-INK. This might be the real ‘cracker’ of innovations.
As a side note, apart from new technologies Geoffrey Ozin tells about during his speech, my attention was drawn by his business model of Opalux. This spin – off company doesn’t count on VC investments, they try to build it from their own funds, expand the company and technologies, and later think about outside investments. Great attitude, giving them the advantage when discussing terms of future investments.
That’s right. When you have a novel technology and you have already expanded it, you do have a definite advantage.
Have been looking for the applications of photonic crystals.
Found this one at http://www.theochem.kth.se/research/phot_cryst/Applications.html
But could not make much out of it.
Still looking.
A bit too complicated for my liking, not an expert in these fields.
Maybe some other readers can throw some light on these applications described in the article from your link Malini?
Found this one.
MIT researchers are using DNA to create photonic crystals.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/photonics-crystals-1019.html
“MIT researchers, together with colleagues at the Scripps Research Institute and the University of Rochester, demonstrated that tiny particles of gold and balls of protein known as virus-like particles, both with strands of DNA attached to them, would spontaneously organize themselves into a lattice-like structure. Although the materials themselves aren’t useful for making photonic crystals, the distances between the particles are exactly those that would enable a photonic crystal to guide light in the visible spectrum.”
May lead to creating photonic crystals easily.