The document discusses the concept of primitive molecular manufacturing using nanoscale tools and techniques. It proposes building precise nanoscale structures through a digital engineering approach involving molecular fabrication, assembly operations, and information handling. The eventual goal is to develop large, high-performance manufacturing tools including a desktop nanofactory capable of producing its own mass in an hour. The presentation outlines some foundational concepts, existing capabilities, and a roadmap for further research.

1. Primitive Molecular
Manufacturing
Chris Phoenix
Tihamer Toth Toth-Fejel
NIAC Fellows Meeting, March 15 15-16

2. Small is Beautiful
ÎÎScaling laws: throughput ~ size^ size^-4
ÎÎ10 cm tool: 3 GY. 100 nm tool: 100 sec.
ÎÎPower density ~ size^ size^-1
ÎÎDigital logic likes to be small
ÎÎAccess atoms ÆÆ Digital construction
ÎÎLow wear, high strength, superlubricity
ÎÎDigital design bottom bottom-up, like computers

3. Molecular Manufacturing
ÎÎBuilding precise, useful nanoscale
structures with nanoscale tools
ÎÎEngineering approach to nanoscale
ÎÎMolecular fabrication
ÎÎAssembly and operations
ÎÎInformation handling
ÎÎReliability
ÎÎEventual goal: Large, high high-performance
products including manufacturing tools

5. A desktop nanofactory manufactures a FiltomatM102C high performance self-cleaning water filterA robot arm with thiophene-based molecular actuators adds a nanoblock to the extruded product Ridge joints interlock to connect nanoblocks The product is extruded at a surface that assemblesnanoblocks one layer at a time

6. Outline
ÎÎFoundational approach
ÎÎUltimate goal
ÎÎExisting capabilities
ÎÎRoadmap

7. Information Delivery
ÎÎExisting manufacturing technologies:
A few KB per second
ÎÎGoal:
A few GB per second
ÎÎThis requires:
ÎÎVery small tools
(or massively parallel medium medium-small tools)
ÎÎReliable operations

8. Small is Beautiful
ÎÎScaling laws: throughput ~ size^ size^-4
ÎÎ10 cm tool: 3 GY. 100 nm tool: 100 sec.
ÎÎPower density ~ size^ size^-1
ÎÎDigital logic likes to be small
ÎÎAccess atoms ÆÆ Digital construction
ÎÎLow wear, high strength, superlubricity
ÎÎDigital design bottom bottom-up, like computers

9. Rapid Design
ÎÎOnce you get a set of reliable tools…
You can combine them to make new tools
ÎÎOnce you can build lots of variants…
You can do evolutionary design
ÎÎWith high performance and small parts…
You can afford to use levels of abstraction

10. Planar Assembly
ÎÎScaling laws indicate that deposition
speed is independent of block/robot size
ÎÎRobots can be sub sub-micron size
(Human cell = 20 micron)
ÎÎRapid joining should allow cm/sec
deposition
ÆÆ Build large products directly from sub sub-
micron blocks
(Build sub sub-micron blocks directly from atoms atoms……)

11. Molecular fabrication
ÎÎToday: Bulk chemistry
ÎÎEnvironmentally controlled polymer
fabrication
ÎÎSequence of operations
ÎÎLight (“DNA Chip”)
ÎÎGoal: Mechanically controlled reactions
ÎÎSequence
ÎÎPosition

12. Mechanosynthesis:
Just a Tool
ÎÎCan be either “solution phase” or
“machine phase”
ÎÎMechanical control of reactions: More a
style than a restriction
ÎÎControl can be direct or indirect
ÎÎImplies precise nanoscale tools –– which
we want anyway

13. Error Handling in
Generational Manufacturing
ÎÎIn molecular devices, errors are digital
ÎÎError rates vary by many orders of
magnitude
ÎÎIn small self self-contained devices, you just
need an error rate less than the number of
operations
ÎÎIn large devices, you will have errors
ÎÎYou need to work around them, not pass
them on

14. Nanoscale Toolkit
ÎÎWe want tools that are:
ÎÎReliable
ÎÎDependable
ÎÎEasy to characterize
ÎÎVery flexible
ÎÎShort Short-term tools
Actuators; Binding/recognition; Conductors;
Sensors; Bonding; Structure
ÎÎLong Long-term tools
Digital logic; Bearings; Mechanosynthesis

15. The Ultimate Goal
ÎÎTabletop nanofactoy
ÎÎProduces its own mass in ~1 hour
ÎÎUses simple feedstock
ÎÎDirect computer control; Rapid prototyping
ÎÎPowerful nanoscale toolkit
ÎÎVery high performance products
ÎÎEasy product design
ÎÎBurch/Drexler animation (with real
chemistry)

16. Where To Start
ÎÎSimple 2D array of block block-placing
equipment
ÎÎA “membrane” separating loose blocks
from product
ÎÎSelective placement of blocks, optionally
followed by strengthening connections
ÎÎBlocks (5 5-20 nm?) are pre pre-made
ÎÎChemistry
ÎÎSelf assembly
ÎÎTemplating Templating, mechanosynthesis
,

17. Building blocks
DNA
RNA
Protein
Schafmeister’s
polymers
Other…

18. Binding and Bonding
ÎÎCovalent
ÎÎMetal ligation
ÎÎDative
ÎÎHydrogen
ÎÎCharge/Dipole
ÎÎVan der Waals (“surface forces”)

19. Bonding Blocks
ÎÎBy light
ÎÎBy zinc
ÎÎOther…

20. Smart Silkscreen

21. Simplest Nanofactory

22. First Improvement

23. Improved nanofactory

24. Roadmap
ÎÎSilkscreen membrane
ÎÎInkjet membrane
ÎÎAdd local digital logic
ÎÎImprove error handling
ÎÎImprove the mechanicals
ÎÎAdd intermediate block block-assembly stages
ÎÎAdd mechanosynthesis
ÎÎAdd directed internal transport
ÎÎRemove solvent
ÎÎAdd mill mill-style synthesis

25. Goal…
ÎÎJohn Burch, Lizard Fire Studios

26. Local digital logic
ÎÎHP’s “crossbar” claims storage,
amplification, logic
ÎÎMechanical logic? Nanoscale machines
move at GHz speeds…

27. Improve error handling
ÎÎWith primitive membrane and small area,
you can handle errors from the top
ÎÎWith internal function, you need
redundancy
ÎÎLocal error handling reduces data flow
ÎÎEspecially the difficult back back-channel

28. Improve the mechanicals
ÎÎActuators
ÎÎDNA (tweezers, rotary motors)
ÎÎATP (ATP synthase synthase, , kinesin kinesin, etc.)
, ÎÎIon (linear rotaxane dimers dimers, contractile polymers)
, ÎÎRedox (rotaxane rotaxane, VPL, etc.)
, ÎÎPhoto or electrochemical ( pseudorotaxanes pseudorotaxanes)
ÎÎElectrostatic
ÎÎBearings
ÎÎSingle bond
ÎÎCompliant (squishy)
ÎÎSuperlubricity

29. Intermediate block assembly
ÎÎCombine molecules into blocks
ÎÎImprove throughput
ÎÎEnhance flexibility
ÎÎAdd “fins” or other structure on the
feedstock side to supply the assembly
plane

30. Mechanosynthesis
ÎÎSimpler, cheaper feedstock
ÎÎSmaller, less error error-prone feedstock intake
ÎÎWider range of components
ÎÎLow level programmability (faster R&D)
ÎÎSmaller features?
ÎÎHigher bond density?

31. Directed internal transport
ÎÎShuffle product components within the
factory
ÎÎSpecialization and optimization of factory
equipment
ÎÎEfficient handling of product voids
ÎÎEfficient handling of errors (redundancy)

32. Remove solvent
ÎÎLess drag; more throughput; higher
efficiency
ÎÎFeedstock can still be delivered in solution
ÎÎLimits choice of actuators
ÎÎMay require different synthetic reactions
ÎÎThis may be a good thing!
ÎÎBetter materials
ÎÎMore extreme reactions

33. Mill Mill-style synthesis
ÎÎLess flexible but a lot faster than robot robot-
style synthesis
ÎÎEasier to recover reaction energy (stiffer
equipment, smoother motion)
ÎÎLess computation per operation
ÎÎLess beneficial for component assembly,
but may still be useful

34. Conclusion
ÎÎToday: We can build and join precise
molecular parts.
ÎÎWith this NIAC project, we have begun
design of a system that can do precise,
programmed, actuated assembly of
molecular parts.
ÎÎFrom there, incremental steps lead to
desktop nanofactory.

35. Who we are
ÎÎCenter for Responsible Nanotechnology:
Research and education on advanced
nanotech capabilities and implications
ÎÎResearchers:
ÎÎChris Phoenix, CRN Director of Research
cphoenix@crnano.org
ÎÎTihamer Toth Toth-Fejel