Secretary Abraham Applauds 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act; Attends Signing by President Bush at White House 12/3/2003
From: Jana Toner, 202-586-4940, Jeff Sherwood, 202-586-5806, both of the U.S. Department of Energy WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham applauded the signing of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act by President Bush at the White House today. "Imagine an automobile half the weight and twice the strength of today's models," Secretary Abraham said. "As one of the lead agencies for nanotechnology research and development, the Department of Energy is delighted that the President signed legislation today that brings us closer to that future. This new science of very small things can revolutionize the way we produce, use, and deliver energy -- not to mention its applications to improving human health. DOE is proud it can play a critical role in President Bush's National Nanotechnology Initiative." The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act authorizes funding for nanotechnology research and development over four years and puts into law programs and activities supported by President Bush's National Nanotechnology Initiative (NIN). "Nanoscale research will, in many respects, represent the new building blocks for new technologies and applications across the science and industry spectrum," Secretary Abraham said. "Understanding the properties of materials on the tiniest scale will have an impact on everything from medicine to manufacturing." Nanomaterials -- typically on the scale of billionths of a meter or 1,000 times smaller than a human hair -- offer different chemical and physical properties than the same materials in bulk form, and have the potential to form the basis of new technologies. Understanding these properties may allow researchers to design materials with properties tailored to specific needs such as strong, lightweight materials, new lubricants and more efficient solar energy cells. By building structures one atom at a time, the materials may have enhanced mechanical, optical, electrical or catalytic properties. The fundamental properties of materials and systems are established at the nanoscale. Melting temperature, magnetic properties, charge capacity, and even color are dictated not only by the arrangement of nanoscale structures, but also by the size of the structures. The realm of molecular biology -- life sciences -- also operates largely at the nanoscale. Scientists have known about the physical properties and behavior of isolated molecules and bulk materials. The properties of matter at the nanoscale, however cannot necessarily be predicted from those observed at larger or smaller scales. Nanoscale research enables scientists literally to build novel structures atom by atom. Some Nanotechnology Possibilities: -- Carbon nanotubes are essentially sheets of graphite rolled into extremely narrow tubes - a few nanometers in diameter. Because of their nanoscale size and excellent conductivity, carbon nanotubes are being studied as the possible building blocks of future electronic devices. -- Nanotechnology may one day enable the detection of disease on the cellular level and the targeting of treatment only to tissues where it is needed in a patient's body, potentially alleviating many unpleasant and sometimes harmful side effects. -- Nano-manufacturing of parts and materials "from the bottom up"-by assembling them on an atom-by-atom basis-may one day be used to reduce waste and pollution in the manufacturing process. -- Nanosensors already are being developed to allow fast, reliable, real-time monitoring for everything from chemical attack to environmental leaks. -- Woven into a cable, carbon nanotubes could provide electricity transmission lines with substantially improved performance over current power lines. -- Certain nanomaterials show promise for use in making more efficient solar cells and the next-generation catalysts and membranes that will be used in hydrogen-powered fuel cells. |