The Future of Building

Since the dawn of time man has always been closely associated with the tools we use. Our society and lifestyles are molded and shaped by what and how we build. As humans we are by nature builders and creators. From a manufacturing standpoint there are a few methods that we have used that have become second nature and natural for us to understand. Those methods are Additive Manufacturing (Rapid Prototyping and 3D Printing), Subtractive Manufacturing (Machining, sawing, cutting and milling) and Formative Manufacturing (Thermoforming and injection molding). As we approach the topic of nanotechnology our understanding of building must fundamentally change.

            In the past scientists have tried using either top-down or bottom-up methods of creating nanostructures. These two methods are akin to using the Additive and Subtractive manufacturing processes that we are already familiar with. In bottom-up we start with small individual or simple nanoparticles that are easy to produce and we try to build with them to make more complex larger components (Gitam University). With the top-down method we start with something larger and subtract material away until the shape and size is appropriate to the desired outcome. Both of these methods have their strengths, but they also have their limitations.

These Hydrogen Wave Functions represent some of the unique properties that quantum mechanics have over classical Newtonian physics (Wikipedia).

            One of the reasons nanotechnology is both fascinating and why constructing the structures can be so difficult was explained by George Whitesides in Self-Assembly and Nanostructured Materials. “In the intermediate region − the region of nanometer-scale structures − quantum and classical behaviors mix” (Whitesides 223).  This mixing of Newtonian and Quantum physics makes building structures difficult, but it also makes for enormous opportunities within design. “[…] Because quantum behavior is fundamentally counterintuitive, there is the optimistic expectation that nanostructures and nanostructured materials will found fundamentally new technologies” (Whitesides 223). In order to unlock the full potential of nanostructures and nanotechnology a new method of construction and assembly must be devised.

Self Assembly allows particles to build themselves

            Enter the concept of Self Assembly, a process modeled after the way nature and biology build complex systems (Nimet). With self assembly individual particles that are pre-programed or designed to only connect a certain way are introduced to other particles. Through various methods the particles are dynamically rearranged or mixed and when two particles meet that share appropriate connectors they join or link together (Whitesides 230) . Self Assembly mimics chaos theory as particles and systems naturally go from simple to complex over time. The energy or flux required to facilitate assembly is insignificant and this manufacturing method allows for assembly to be carried out in parallel and on a massive scale which is far more efficient compared to individually placing molecules one at a time (Whitesides 225).   

            What this means is that the future of building won’t look like any of the methods of the past. We won’t be cutting, sawing or welding molecules together to form nanostructures. Instead structures and nanotechnology will be grown, and self assembled by pre-programed material. The future of nanotechnology will look closer to growing bacteria in a petri dish compared to anything we currently see in traditional manufacturing.

Building in the future will mimic how 

bacteria grows and is self assembled
 

References:

Whitesides, George. Jennah Kriebel and Brian Mayers. “Self-Assembly and Nanostructured Materials” Nanostructure Science and Technology. New York: Springer Science + Business, 2005. P217-239. Print.
 
"Medical & Biological Applications" Nimet, Nimet. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://nimet.ufl.edu/nanomed.asp>. 

"Role of Bottom-up and Top-Down approaches in Nano technology" Gitam University, Gitam University. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.gitam.edu/eresource/nano/NANOTECHNOLOGY/role_of_bottomup_and_topdown_a.htm>.

"Quantum Mechanics." Wikipedia. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanics>.  

N.d. TheDailyMash. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/science-technology/petri-dish-goes-viral-2015011994569>.