Steven A. Edwards 
The Nanotech Pioneers 
Where Are They Taking Us?

Hype, hope, or horror? A vivid look at nanotechnology, written by an insider and experienced science writer.
The variety of new products and technologies that will spin out of nanoscience is limited only by the imagination of the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs drawn to this new field. Steve Edwards concentrates on the reader’s self interest: no military gadgets, wild fantasies of horror nanobot predators and other sci-fi stuff, but presents a realistic view of how this new field of technology will affect people in the near future. He is in close contact with many pioneers in nanotechnology, and includes their backgrounds to allow readers, especially college students considering a career in the field, to better imagine themselves in such positions. However, technology does not develop in a vacuum, and this book also looks at the social, political and economic changes attendant upon the development of nanotechnology.
For the science-interested general public as well as chemists, students, lecturers, chemical organizations, materials scientists, journalists, politicians, industry, physicists, and biologists.

Table of Content

Chapter 1: The Promise of Nanotechnology
DEFINING NANOTECHNOLOGY
TOP-DOWN VERSUS BOTTOM-UP MANUFACTURING
WHAT IS IN SOOT? – DIFFERENT FORMS OF CARBON
AN ALTERNATIVE NATURE
MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND
WHO KNOWS ABOUT NANO?
THE PROMISE OF NANO
SKEPTICS
CONTEMPORANEOUS HISTORY

Chapter 2: The Visionaries
RICHARD FEYNMAN
K. ERIC DREXLER
RALPH MERKLE
RAY KURZWEIL
CRITICISM OF THE DREXLERIAN VISION
JAMES VON EHR
MIKE ROCO

Chapter 3: On the Road to Nano-
LITHOGRAPHY
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
SUPRAMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY

Chapter 4: Nanotools
THE ELECTRON MICROSCOPE
SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPES: STM, AFM AND VARIANTS THEREOF
ANGSTROVISION
NANOMANIPULATORS

Chapter 5: Nanoparticles and Other Nanomaterials
DISCOVERING THE BUCKYBALL
CARBON NANOTUBES
DENDRIMERS
Antibodies and anti-antibodies
Dendrimers as sensors
Dendrimers as Drugs
Dendrimeric Displays
QUANTUM DOTS
Colloidal Quantum Dots
Quantum Dots in Biology and Medicine
Quantum Dots in Electronics

Chapter 6: Learning From Old Mother Nature
THE GECKO’S FOOT
THE EYE OF THE STARFISH—THE OPTICAL NETWORK OF THE SPONGE
THE ABALONE’S SHELL
DIATOMS-THE ORIGINAL SILICON CHIPS
NATURAL NANOTUBES
SYNTHETIC NERVE MEMBRANES
CO-OPTING BIOLOGY




Chapter 7: Nanoelectronics
SPINTRONICS
NANOTUBE MEMORY CHIPS: NRAM
NANOWIRES
THIN FILMS OF GLOWING POLYMERS
NANOROBOTICS

Chapter 8: Nanotech Enabled Biomedicine
Stages
DELIVERING DRUGS
MEDICAL IMAGING-X-Ray Tubes
MAKING THE WORLD SAFE FOR MRI (PLUS SOME OTHER STUFF)
Other Contrast Agents
NANOSHELLS FOR THERAPY
PUMPS
THE STRANGE CASE OF NANOBACTERIA
MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS
Smart Dust
Nanoarrays for Biomedical Assays
MOVING WATER AROUND, A LITTLE AT A TIME
NANOSCALE ANTENNA CONTROLS DNA
ARTIFICIAL JOINTS
ARTIFICIAL ORGANS
The Artificial Retina
Brain/Machine Interface
ARTIFICIAL CELLS
RE-INVENTING BIOLOGY

Chapter 9: Financing Nanotech Dreams
CHARLIE HARRIS, VENTURE CAPITALIST
IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL NANOTECH INITIATIVE

Chapter 10: Mega-Sized Projects that Could Use Tiny Technology–Three Somewhat Grandiose Challenges
ENERGY-INDEPENDENCE FROM FOSSIL FUELS
Green energy
THE SPACE ELEVATOR
BUILDING A QUANTUM COMPUTER
How do you build a quantum computer?

Chapter 11: Fear of Nano–Dangers and Ethical Challenges
THE GREY GOO SCENARIO
THE GREEN GOO SCENARIO
ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE DUE TO INHALEABLE OR INGESTIBLE NANOPARTICLES
PEOPLE WILL LIVE FOREVER LEADING TO OVERPOPULATION
ONLY RICH PEOPLE WILL LIVE FOREVER
NANOTECHNOLOGY WILL TURN US INTO CYBORGS
NANOTECHNOLOGY COULD CREATE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
NANOTECH WILL CREATE MACHINES THAT ARE SMARTER THAN HUMAN BEINGS
NANOTECH WILL HASTEN THE ARRIVAL OF THE SINGULARITY
REGULATING NANOTECH
Chapter 12: Final Thoughts on The Destination

About the author

Steve A. Edwards obtained his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California in San Diego in 1980, then spent four years as an NIH postdoctoral fellow at Salk Institute at La Jolla, as well as holding a position of assistant professor at the biochemistry department of Meharry Medical College, Nashville. Since 1994, he has been a free-lance writer and from 1997 onwards, he has been a free-lance medical technology analyst for Business Communications Company, Inc., Norwalk. From 1998 on, he has taken on several editorial positions with BCC, serving as Contributing Editor for Medical Materials Update, Managing Editor of Applied Genetics News and Drug Discover/Technology News, and as editor for Nano-Bio Convergence News, Cell Therapy News, and Biomolecular Diagnostics News. From 2002 to date, he has also been Vice President (Technologies) at Phaelixe, Inc.
He received the American Heart Association New Investigator Award (1991-1993) and the NHLBI Minority School Faculty Development Award (1992-1994).