By tapping nature's secrets for building matter atom by atom, nanotechnology researchers can design and build a new generation of nanostructures that outperform existing materials. For example, carbon atoms can assemble into diverse structural forms-diamond, graphite and graphene, carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes (buckyballs)-each with unique characteristics. Seemingly minor changes in the positions and connections among atoms can yield materials with very different physical properties. Front Sideġ1" x 17" Placemat: 300 DPI High-res PDF | 120 DPI Low-res PDFĬarbon: The Many Faces of the Sixth Element By advancing our atom-by-atom understanding of material structure, we open up a dazzling array of possibilities for designing new materials with desired properties and functions. Models and simulations empowered by supercomputers are helping researchers test theories and explore the nanoscale dynamics of materials with greater realism. Advanced tools based on x-ray, electron, and neutron beams are providing atomic details of metal alloys, plastics, enzymes, superconductors, carbon nanostructures, and materials under extremes of temperature, pressure, and stress. The fundamental tenet of materials research is that structure determines function. Thus, to characterize structures with atomic detail, we must use probes such as x-rays, electrons, and neutrons that are at least as small as the atoms being investigated. Seeing matter at the level of atoms requires instruments that can measure structures that are one thousand times smaller than those detectable by the most advanced light microscopes. The wavelength range of visible light is a few hundred nanometers, which is too large to detect atoms. An atom’s typical size is tenths of a nanometer. The ability to understand, design, and control these properties will lead to a new world of materials and technologies for numerous application areas. Melting temperature, magnetic properties, charge capacity, and even color are dictated by the arrangements of atoms and molecules. This nanoscale realm is where the fundamental properties of materials are established. Studying matter at the level of atoms and molecules requires measuring structures that are billionths of a meter (nanometers) or less in size. This quest begins with visualizing atoms (nuclei and electrons) and their interactions. How do only 118 building blocks-all the known elements in the periodic table-combine to create every substance on Earth? How do these atoms make materials with a seemingly endless variety of forms and properties-soft and hard, ductile and brittle, magnetic and nonmagnetic, insulating and superconducting, living and nonliving? Why do the same atoms connected in varying ways yield remarkably different materials? Finding out is key to creating the materials and technologies needed to thrive in an age of natural resource, environmental, and fiscal constraints.
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