Summary proceedings (48 pages in OpenBook browsable, searchable format) of a recent workshop on structured nanomaterials held on June 20-21, 2001 in Washington, D.C. Topics addressed include:

* Synthesis and assembly of nanomaterial building blocks
* Characterization of nanomaterials
* Examples of structural nanomaterials currently in use
* Potential applications of nanomaterials
* Gaps in understanding of synthesis, assembly, chemical, and physical characterization and the need for an interdisciplinary approach
* Identification of the "showstoppers" -- major barriers to utilization of nanomaterials

Workshop on Structural Nanomaterials | National Academy Press

In this week's Nature, two researchers from the University of Chicago take one step closer toward scalable self assembly.

Self-assembly is emerging as an elegant, 'bottom-up' method for fabricating nanostructured materials. This approach becomes particularly powerful when the ease and control offered by the self-assembly of organic components is combined with the electronic, magnetic or photonic properties of inorganic components. Here we demonstrate a versatile hierarchical approach for the assembly of organic–inorganic, copolymer–metal nanostructures in which one level of self-assembly guides the next. ... We delineate two distinct assembly modes ... each characterized by different ordering kinetics and strikingly different current–voltage characteristics. These results therefore demonstrate the possibility of guided, large-scale assembly of laterally nanostructured systems.

Abstract available with free registration; full text via subscription only.

Hierarchical self-assembly of metal nanostructures on diblock copolymer scaffolds

K. Eric Drexler, founder of the Foresight Institute, interprets the impacts of the events of September 11 in the context of research on and development of nanotechnology. It's concise; worth a look.

This "open letter" is part of a Foresight fundraising campaign to promote relevant nanotech research.

Foresight's Drexler offers 'Six Lessons from September 11'

World Scientific is starting a new journal on nanoscience. The web site is a little flaky, so if the direct URL doesn't work, visit www.wspc.com.sg and navigate to IJN via "WorldSciNet", then "new journals".

This inter-disciplinary, internationally-reviewed research journal covers all aspects of nanometer scale science and technology. Articles in any contemporary topical areas are sought, from basic science of nanoscale physics and chemistry to nanostructured materials and applications in nanodevices, quantum engineering and quantum computing. IJN will include articles in the following research areas (and other related areas):

Nanoscale Properties, Atomic Manipulation, Fabrication, Processing, Precursors and Assembly, Nanostructure Arrays, Fullerenes, Carbon Nanotubes and Organic Nanostructures, Quantum Dots, Quantum Wires, Quantum Wells, Superlattices, Nanoelectronics, Single Electron Electronics and Devices, Molecular Electronics, Quantum Computing, Nanomechanics, Nanobiological Function and Life Sciences, Nanoscale Instrumentation and Characterization, Nano-optics, Photonic Crystals with Nanoscale Structural Fidelity

International Journal of Nanoscience (IJN)

In the September issue of Scientific American, a number of articles cast doubt on certain aspects of nanotechnological building blocks promoted by the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing and the Foresight Institute. The organizations have responded with specific rebuttals to these articles and pointers to the previous literature on the subject.

Worth a look. I wonder which side of the debate Bill Joy supports ... if he supports the SciAm view, then is GNR a false threat?

The Scientific American Controversy over Nanotechnology

Abstracts and selected papers from the Foresight's Ninth Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology are becoming available online. The conference was held at the Westin Hotel in Santa Clara, California from 9 -11 November 2001. Papers include:

"Molecular Electronics and Chemical/Biological Sensors"
"Nanostructures in Nature and Technology"
"Fullerene Nanotools from Biology"
"MolSpice: Designing Molecular Logic Circuits"
"Wireless Communication in Multi-Agent Networked Nano- and Micro-Electromechanical Systems"
"The hypernetwork architecture as a model for molecular computing"

Presentation Abstracts, Ninth Foresight Conference

Authors from Stanford's Physics department and MITRE's Nanosystems group survey the latest progress in nanoelectronics in a brief 2-page article in the November 9 issue of _Science_. A subscription is required for access to the full text. Topics discussed include: nanowires, carbon nanotubes, small organic molecules, and biomolecules.

Abstract: "Nanoelectronics is the next frontier after microelectronics, and research in this field is advancing at a breathtaking rate. In their Perspective, Tseng and Ellenbogen highlight four recent papers, including the reports by Huang et al. and Bachtold et al., which show that logic circuits can be made with molecular-scale components. Many challenges remain to be overcome until a nanocomputer can be realized, but these studies move this ambitious goal one important step closer."

Toward Nanocomputers | Science, Nov 9 2001

On the road to single-molecule transistors, researchers at Lucent Bell Labs publish their latest work in the journal _Science_. A subscription is required for access to full text.

Abstract: "Field-effect transistors based on two-component self-assembled monolayers of conjugated and insulating molecules have been prepared, the conductance through which can be varied by more than three orders of magnitude by changing the applied gate bias. Using very small ratios of conjugated to insulating molecules in the two-component monolayer, devices with only a few "electrically active" molecules can be achieved. At low temperatures the peak channel-conductance is quantized in units of 2e2/h. This behavior is indicative of transistor action in single molecules. Based on such single-molecule transistors inverter circuits with gain are demonstrated."

Field-Effect Modulation of the Conductance of Single Molecules

"The aim of Nanojournal.org web site is to reference all nanotechnology articles from several research journals. This database gives references (and links) of papers about nanotechnology, from selected scientific journals (PRB, PRL, JACS, JAP, JPCB....) [The] database is [...] a way to obtain the latest news in the area of nanotechnology.

Many of the papers will require an electronic subscription to the referenced publication, or at least a site registration. Further, these papers tend to be highly technical and specific in nature. (The typical PRL paper is for a rather different audience than an article in Scientific American.)

NanoJournal.org: Scientific Publications Database

"Nanomagazine.com is a new online magazine devoted to publishing original content on nano-scale technology and molecular nanotechnology. Our current format includes interviews with several people who are making nanotechnology a reality. We hope to encourage participation from the general public. Nanomagazine.com is also searching for advisors and peer reviewed papers. It is fun and educational to read the interviews and remains a free resource for everyone to learn new opinions and different perspectives."

Nanomagazine.com: small is powerful and beautiful!