In-solvent piezochemical mechanosynthesis
The here is to perform atomically precise
piezochemical mechanosynthesis in solution before going to a full on PPV vacuum,
because this is likely an easier task. Walking before running.
This page shall focus more on the core process.
More generally see: Technology level II aka In-solvent gem-gum technology.
An intermediate step between step between:
- structures artificially created via thermally driven self assembly and rudimentary robotic control – technology level I
- full on piezochemical mechanosynthesis in PPV – technology level III aka gem-gum technology
Contents
Relation to R&D in bio-mineralization
Current mainstream bio-mineralization research may not be very
aligned with a focused aim at advancement of APM towards gemstone metamaterial technology.
This is out of two reasons:
- A lack of a focus on atomic precision.
- A focus on soon reachable better material properties rather than fundamentals for only later reachable advanced material properties. More concretely:
– a focus on materialtype-heterogeneous metamaterials without atomic precision rather than
– a focus on materialtype-homogeneous metamaterials with atomic precision.
One major focus of bio-mineralization R&D is the
recreation of composite materials with good mechanical properties like e.g. nacre
without a focus on atomically precise material synthesis one moiety at a time.
Lack of a focus on atomic precision
In bio-mineralization proteins may release salt-ions in close vicinity of
the deposition target. Thereby creating a local supersaturation and a falling out of the salt ions
onto the bio-mineral traget-structure. But all that without full atomic precision.
(TODO: To investigate in how far this is really the case, and in how far it is even known how much or less of atomic precision is involved in natural bio-mineralization.)
A focus on different types of metamaterials
In nacre good mechanical properties are created through the interleaving of solid unstructured bio-minerals with protein-layers.
But in gemstone metamaterial technology good mechanical properties shall be engineered by nano-structuring (bio)minerals with atomic precision.
One can think of it as:
- gem-gum-tec targeting textiles made out nanoscale gemstone chainmaille.
- Mainstream biomineralization R&D aiming at laminated composite materials
as e.g. nacre: slabs of horn-like proteins interspersed with slabs of single crystalline calc-spar
These are quite different goals.
Relevant overlap
(TODO: Investigate in how far parts of existing bio-mineralization R&D have overlap with work aiming at gem-gum-tec.)
Misc
Due to the solvent there is a lot of viscous drag still preventing high throughput in this stage of development.
Conditions can be quite near to the assembled structure dissolving again. This:
- May help in assembly
- may put atomically precise synthesis in competition with other non atomically precise in solution nano-manufacturing techniques
- May quickly destroy the the atomic precision again due to too high dissolution and re-deposition at temperatures the solvent is not frozen
Related
External links
Interesting vaguely related topic:
Solubility of calcium carbonate is pressure dependent:
- Not a target: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacre
