Innovation Anthology #197:
Scientists working at the nano scale are really studying biology, chemistry, and physics at the level of individual molecules.
Dr. Nils Petersen, a chemistry professor by training, is also the Director General of NINT, Canada’s National Institute for Nanotechnology.
His group of nano scientists are researching projects in four different areas. These include new materials for alternate energy sources like solar panels and fuel cells. There’s molecular electronics, the ultimate in miniaturization. Third is the development of bio-materials to replace traditional sources of paper and plastics. And fourth is health and biotechnology.
DR. NILS PETERSEN: We’re trying to understand the biological systems. Others where we are trying to manipulate the biological systems or learn from biological systems to create new things. So one of the examples is people have learned from biological structures how they assemble, and what the forces are that cause molecules to assemble in particular ways. So we will use that insight to create other kinds of molecules that will assemble in a similar fashion. And then we learn to control how to do that. And then create new structures, new materials.
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I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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Program Date: 2009-01-08