Nanotechnology in general and molecular nanotechnology
in particular received a big boost in the United States when the
President announced the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)
at the beginning of the year. The NNI identifies nanotechnology
as an emerging area of national interest, and has provision for
substantial increases in funding levels from US Federal
agencies. In addition, several major scientific organizations
such as the American Physical, Chemical, and Materials Research
Societies have launched focus groups and/or divisions that
will sponsor several sessions on nanotechnology-related areas
during their future annual meetings. Quite a few smaller
conferences, focusing on one or other constituent areas of
nanotechnology, have sprung up and also started to draw audiences and
speakers. The Foresight Conferences, with their focus on
molecular nanotechnology, continue to be the leader in this field
by providing a truly multidisciplinary platform for audiences
and speakers to gather and discuss the most recent advances in
core enabling technologies.
The 7th Foresight Conference (15-17 October 1999), again held in
the heart of silicon valley, was no exception. Many
recent advances in enabling technologies such as scanning
probes, molecular motors and biotechnology, nanomechanics and
materials, molecular electronics and self-assembly, and modelling
and simulations were covered at the conference. Specific topics
discussed included a keynote address by Nobel Laureate John
Polanyi who talked about nanoscale precision in laser-induced
surface chemistry on silicon surfaces, advances in molecular
motors by Montemagno of Cornell and Michl of Colorado, a novel
biomechanical switch discussed by Vogel of Washington University,
DNA-based nanotechnology by Heller of Nanogen Inc.,
nanomanipulation of nanotubes by Superfine of North Carolina
State University and Ruoff of Washington University at St
Louis, and electronic and materials properties of nanotubes and
related materials by McEuen from the University of California at
Berkeley and Dai of Stanford University. Federal agencies were
represented in talks by Warren of the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency and Meyyappan of NASA Ames summarizing advances
in molecular electronics, and Srivastava of NASA Ames and Karna
of the Air Force Research Laboratory discussing modelling and
simulations of nanomechanics and optical properties. Mirkin of
Northwestern discussed advances and possible applications of
dip-pen nanolithography, and scanning probe
operations/applications were represented in talks by Russell of
North Carolina State University and Henderson of Iowa State
University. Allara of Pennsylvania State University, Andres of
Purdue University and Hoh of Johns Hopkins School of
Medicine covered diverse aspects of self-assembly, and the role
of modelling and simulations in advancing the frontiers was
described in examples shown by Vashishta of Louisiana State
University, Brenner of North Carolina State University, and Cho
of Stanford University.
The papers submitted for this Special Issue of the
journal Nanotechnology reflect the highly multidisciplinary
structure and the content of the conference. Papers related to
molecular motors, electronics, carbon nanotubes, molecular
building blocks, self-assembly, and scanning probes describe
some of the advances that are leading the way for molecular
nanotechnology. Limberis and Stracke talk about motors and
mechanisms in biological systems. Peng, Wei and Jian discuss
future electronics, sensor and materials applications of carbon
nanotubes and fullerenes, and Hersam, Çagin and Hua describe
non-fullerene-derived nanostructured materials. Merkle and Pum
consider details of possible molecular building blocks that
could be self-assembled or nanomanipulated into larger
functional materials and/or devices. The process and examples of
self-assembly are topics of papers authored by Chen and Ram, and
Morita and Hughes describe atomic force microscopy and
electro-kinetics as enabling technologies. Finally,
the paper by Toth-Fejel discusses architectural issues related
to future assembly of fully functional molecular nanotechnology
systems. These papers continue the march of nanotechnology,
and give a flavour of topics covered at the conference.