At the 2013 Conference George Church presented an overview of his work in developing applications of atomically precise nanotechnology intended for commercialization, from data storage to medical nanorobots to genomic sequencing to genomic engineering to mapping individual neuronal functioning in whole brains.
Density functional theory calculations of the electronic properties of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) comprising two concentric zigzag tubes of different chiralities reveal complex effects upon the electronic band gap, identifying candidate combinations for diverse applications from transistors to macroscopic conducting wires.
A combination of techniques has made possible the expansion of problems that can be handled by first-principles molecular dynamics from a few hundred atoms to a very large system containing 32,768 atoms.
A very efficient and scalable method of completely removing metallic carbon nanotubes from mixtures of metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes produces arrays suitable for many applications and for studies of thin film transistors.
Programmed assembly and disassembly of rigid 3D DNA origami objects has been achieved by designing complementary surface shapes based upon weak stacking interactions to create simple nanomachines.
Linking proteins to DNA scaffolds to produce complex functional nanostructures can require chemistry that damages protein function. A new systematic approach avoids exposing proteins to damaging conditions.
A rotaxane-based single molecule pump combines cycling oxidation-reduction potential of the solution with kinetic barriers to moving backward to concentrate small ring molecules against an energy gradient.
At the 2013 Conference Dean Astumian contrasted macroscopic machines at static equilibrium and molecular machines at dynamic equilibrium, and presented information ratchets and microscopic reversibility as the organizing principle of molecular machines.
At the 2013 Conference Gerhard Klimeck presented the work of his computational nanotechnology network modeling nanoelectronic devices, using simulations of multi-million atom domains to understand the function of single atom devices embedded in larger nanostructures.
DNA sequences designed to either stimulate a specific immune response or to down-regulate an undesirable response deliver superior performance when organized on nanoparticles to reach their intended cellular targets.
