Nanotechnology 27th March, 2012 Presentation for the Microelectronics and Nanotechnology Club, at CCNY.

1. Nanotechnology
Mohammad “Faissal” Halim
Dorsinville Group
Photovoltaics and Nonlinear Optics
Tuesday, 27th March, 2012

2. What is Nanotechnology?
Science and art of utilizing
• Matter, at the nanoscale
• Physical effects that only occur when
matter is at the nanoscale
Defined Size Range: 1-100 nm
Size Range of Interest: 1-10 nm

3. How Small Is Nano?
http://www.umt.edu/ethics/Debating%20Science%20Program/ODC/NanoODC/Intro/Properties/Nanoscale_the_scale_of_things.aspx

4. How Small Is Nano?
http://www.umt.edu/ethics/Debating%20Science%20Program/ODC/NanoODC/Intro/Properties/Nanoscale_the_scale_of_things.aspx

5. Why do we care?
Stone Age Iron Age Modern Age
http://ygraine.membrane.com/enterhtml http://www.loupiote.com/photos/26781770.shtml
/Sir_Vent/Dribbling_Rivalry
/Living_In_The_Stone_Age.html
http://download.intel.com
/pressroom/kits/innovation
/survey/Fab_Guy.jpg
Improvement in quality of life, through advancements in materials.

6. The New Paradigm
The pursuit of materials that are:
• Stronger  Nanotube reinforced materials
• Lighter  Materials strong due to their internal structure
• More absorbant  Higher sensitivity photodetectors
• More luminescent  Better lighting
• Faster  faster acting light filters, processor components
• Possessive of new properties  More lubricating, can
transmit light in unique ways
Source: www.godunov.com/bucky/fullerene.html Source: www.nanotech-now.com/current-uses.htm
Source: www.aip.org/png/2003/186.htm

7. Is This A New Way of Thinking?
Material properties have always been tuned
by
• Sharpening  for stone tools
• Heating  changes properties of wood
• Annealing  changes the hardness of metals
• Doping  changes the conductive properties of
semiconductors
Electroplating
Smelting
Doping
http://www.internationalrivers.org http://www.bombayharbor.com/Product http://www.redixon.com/rex8.html
/de/latin-america/amazon-basin /16615/Electronics_Electroplating_System.html
/aluminum-smelting?size=_original

8. So, What Is New?
• Why is the use of nanotechnology so
different from how things have always
been done?
• Why can’t I get a grant unless my work
has something to do with nanomaterials?

9. Pre-existing Paradigm
(like using existing bricks)
• Control the chemicals that go into a material,
through chemistry
• Control of grain sizes, through heating,
annealing, etc.
MAKE FIND
BRICKS DIFFERENT
with BAKE WAYS
Different BRICKS to cobble them
Clays together, to
make better
structures

10. New Paradigm
(like creating tailored bricks)
• Control the patterns in which molecules arrange
to form tailor made building blocks of new matter
• Control how individual building blocks interact, to
create new properties in the matter
MAKE SELF-ASSEMBLE USE PRE-EXISTING
QUANTUM COMPONENTS METHODS OF
DOTS OR COATING,
WIRES ASSEMBLE HEATING,
WELLS IN-SITU ANNEALING, ETC.
OR
POLYMERS

11. What Do We Use Nanomaterials
For?
• Photodetectors, and solar cells
• Light emitters  lasers and lighting
• Energy conduits  surface plasmons
• Microelectronics
• Optical switches
• Passive filters  for sensor protection
• High strength, low weight composites
• High strength cables
• Dry lubricant
• Temperature resistant applications
• Cosmetics

12. Photodetectors, and solar cells
• Bulk material: limited in what proportion of
photons it can absorb
• Nanocrystals absorb a greater percentage
of photons that hit it: solar cells made with
nanocrystals to generate more power, for
the same area
2X+
X Percentage
Percentage of photons
LIGHT of photons LIGHT Absorbed
Absorbed By
By Nanoparticles
Bulk material tuned to each
Wavelength

13. Photodetectors, and solar cells
• Light absorbant nanoparticles on flexible
substrates
• Can be processed using low cost, low
demand manufacturing methods
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110519101355.htm

14. Light Emitters
• Nanoparticles: efficient light emitters, not
just efficient absorbers
– Not due to blackbody effects
– Due to materials’ greater susceptibility to
interaction with light.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/fujitsus-quantum-dot-laser-fires-data-at-25gbps-not-just-for-s/

15. Energy conduits
Detecting surface plasmons as electrons. Schematic of the device
that converts surface plasmons into an electric current. It consists of a
silver nanowire along which the surface plasmons propagate, and a
crossing germanium nanowire, that converts the surface plasmons to
electron-hole pairs. A quantum dot can be used to launch the surface
plasmons along the nanowire. Figure courtesy: Abram L. Falk.
http://opfocus.org/index.php?topic=story&v=7&s=1

16. Slow Light Interaction Enhancer
http://www.slideshare.net/faissal.bd/spaser-amplifier-for-small-signal-detection-for-raman-scattering-measurements-of-a-single-molecule-of-bsa

17. Microelectronics
• Carbon nanotube transistors
http://www.physorg.com/news198948792.html
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1870546&show=html

18. Optical Switches
Laser Beam Path Compare spot sizes,
which change as a result
of refractive index changes
in the test material, owing to
changes in beam intensity

19. Passive filters (Optical Limiting)
• Two photon absorption
leads to a nonlinear absorption
• For protecting cameras, sensors
Source: http://www.hyperzoid.com/csc492/microscopy.html
http://www.theochem.kth.se/research/NLO/opl.html
Source: https://reich-chemistry.wikispaces.com
/422-002+D.+Thibault+and+J.+Brock+Big+Time+Line+Project

20. Passive filters (Optical Limiting)
• Quantum dots enhance two photon absorption – due to
increased susceptibility (longer interaction with) to
interaction with light.
http://www.theochem.kth.se/research/NLO/opl.html
Directions of motion
of sample, to test
various intensities
Source: http://www.tcd.ie/Physics/opticslab/facilities/z_scan.php

21. High Strength, Low Weight
Composites
Continuous Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Composites
DOI: 10.1021/nl8012715
www.owlnet.rice.edu/~rv4/Ajayan/lijie_composite.pdf

22. High Strength Cables
George Washington Bridge George Washington Bridge
Suspension Cable
manhattanstyle.com
vintagephotos.com
If the steel cables were replaced with carbon or other nanotubes --
Cables made of nanotubes are a lot stronger and lighter than steel cables:
• Less amounts of cable would be required for the same job
• This would make the bridge lighter, and
• Have less material expenditure

23. Temperature Resistant Applications
• Stability of many nanoparticles allows
them to be used in applications where bulk
material would deteriorate.

24. Cosmetics
• Quantum dots, owing to their high
absorption, are used in some sunscreens
treehugger.com

25. Dry Lubricant
• Ball bearings about 1 nm in diameter –
Bucky Balls
Source: www.godunov.com/bucky/fullerene.html
monarchbearing.com

26. Methods of nanoparticle synthesis
• Chemical synthesis, in colloids
• Aerosol fabrication
• Vapor deposition
• Molecular beam epitaxy
• Etc.
http://www.redixon.com/rex8.html
• Why bother?
– Nanomaterials behave differently
from how they behave in bulk.
http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/prospective
/gsoe/news/shen-breakthrough.cfm

27. Conclusion
History, and its Making
• Ancient peoples used nanotechnology, without knowing it.
• We are aware of what we are using, but a lot remains unexplained,
and while we will grapple with things we do not know for a long time
to come, future generations will say we did remarkable things
without knowing how we did it.
Stained Glass
Church Window
Damascus Khukri
http://news.softpedia.com/news/
Damascus-Swords-Product-of-Nanotechnology-40503.shtml
http://www.freefoto.com/preview/
05-14-52/Stained-Glass-Window

28. Your Contribution
Here, at CCNY, there are numerous
avenues for pursuing nanomaterials
related work:
• Synthesis and characterization
• Modeling and simulation
• Use in constructing novel devices

29. Questions?
Yes, I added this picture after the presentation, but only because I had trouble finding it before.