Diffusion
Desired diffusion
Diffusion transport facilitating self assembly.
Important for the incremental path.
Already placed parts sometimes coming loose again is often desirable such that errors can be fixed.
Related: Kinetic traps
Undesired diffusion
Once assembled correctly one want's things to stick together as they are ans stay that way.
Especially in direct path to gem-gum-tec.
This is not so the case for pure metals and metallic alloys under specific circumstances.
Specifically metal atoms like to diffuse …
- when there is an individual atom alone atop a surface
- at grain boundaries and at crystal defects where there are high strains and low transition energy barriers
- at non-cryogenic temperatures
This is one reason for why gem based APM focuses gemstone-like compounds rather than pure metals and metallic alloys.
These materials avert surface diffusion at room temperature.
Other reasons are
- circumventing the problem of oxidation
- their mechanical weakness compared to top gems
- their irreversible ductility (no clean binary detectible breaks)
Relates
- Diffusion transport
- Diffusion slowdown blockade
- Self assembly & Thermally driven self assembly
- Pure metals and metallic alloys
- Common critique towards diamondoid atomically precise manufacturing and technology