Solving society’s problems with nanotechnology

In 1996, Dr. Richard Smalley of Rice University along with two of his colleagues were awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their contributions to the field of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is a branch of technology, often interdisciplinary, that involves measurements at 100 nanometers or less.

One nanometer is equivalent to one billionth of a meter; in context, a molecule of water is less than one nanometer while the width of an average human hair is approximately 100,000 nanometers across.

Of his discipline, Dr. Smalley said, “By definition, nanotechnology is simply the art and science of building stuff that does stuff on the nanometer scale. And if you did it with the greatest level of perfection, you would be doing it as nature does in life, that is placing atoms just where you need it with the ultimate level of finesse.”

“We are just now learning how to do this in physical sciences – just as nature has taught us to do in the life sciences,” Dr. Smalley added.

In 2003 Smalley produced a lecture, Energy, Nanotechnology, and People, declaring his interpretation of “humanity’s top ten problems for the next 50 years.”

In descending order of importance, Dr. Smalley’s list reads: “energy, water, food, environment, poverty, terrorism and war, disease, education, democracy, and population.”

Regarding energy’s leading rank, he explained, “Energy is, at least in the United States since 9/11, simply the single most important problem that faces humanity today, particularly when you think of the world as a whole and the time period of the next 50 years.

“I believe you will find that pretty much everyone will agree that energy is the single most important problem. I doubt if there ever was a time before when we would all agree, but now I think we do.”

He cites efficient and cheap production of energy as most pressing because once the energy crisis is alleviated, subsequent energy related problems; such as transportation of clean water, production of food, or wars motivated by the need for fossil fuels, will be resolved with greater ease.

“I am confident we can solve this problem. But it will take revolutionary breakthroughs in physical sciences and engineering, fields that we haven’t been emphasizing enough in the past couple of decades, particularly in the United States,” Dr. Smalley explained.

In order for humanity’s projected greatest problems to be solved, he reports in his lecture that several breakthroughs will need to be made.

Among this list he includes increased safety of hydrogen storage, increased efficiency of fuel cells, the production of “super strong materials,” the development of an efficient electrical energy grid, the incorporation of artificial intelligence based nanoelectronics, the innovation of light emitting diodes, and the implementation of carbon dioxide mineralization.

“When you look at the sort of breakthroughs that are going to be necessary, you’ll realize that most of them fit in the broad definition of nanotechnology,” explains Dr. Smalley. “In order to make these breakthroughs happen, we will need to take this problem much more seriously than we have so far for any project we’ve confronted in this country since the Apollo project.”

The biggest change that needs to happen, he believes, is more in the mindset of today’s youth than anywhere else: “We need a new generation to come into the physical sciences and engineering now. And this time the motivation will be sustained, because this energy problem is going to get even more pressing with every passing year until it’s solved. We need to inspire this generation with this sense of mission: that of being a scientist.”

His lecture concluded, “Although it may seem corny, I think it’s true: being a scientist can literally save the world.”