Gemstone-like molecular element
Gemstone-like molecular elements (GMEs) here also called crystolecules for short.
Gemstone-like molecular elements are the basic building blocks in
gemstome based atomically precise manufacturing here aka gemstone metamaterial technology or gem-gum-tec.
Definition
Hard criteria:
★ Crystolecules are (unless broken) fully atomically precise.
All atoms are at a known and fully intentional position that was desired not accepted.
★ Crystolecules are produced via force applying mechanosynthesis. There seems to be no other viable way to make them.
★ Crystolecules, like macroscale crystals, have a crystalline internal structure (it is allowed to be strained, stressed, and feature fully intentional and atomically precise "defect" like structures. (A more fitting name might be "perfections" maybe?)
★ Crystolecules, like nanoscale molecules, have both a finite, and atomically precisely intentionally defined outer shape i.e. surfaces, edges, corners. (Surfaces may feature intentional atomically precise surface reconstructions.)
Soft criteria:
These are not strictly necessary but corroborate the crystolecule status.
If these requirements are not met it does not mean it is not a crystolecule.
★ Crystolecules usually but not always feature an atomically precise monolayer (or near monolayer) surface passivization such that they feature mechanical stability, thermal stability, chemical stability, and other (electrical optical, …) overall only necessarily sufficient for their intended purpose. Encapsulated crystolecules e.g. need not be stable to air. See: Fruit interior analogy.
★ Crystolecules usually but not always are created to fulfill a specific function as whole of (or part of) a structural element, or machine element of various kind, (mechanical, electrical, plasmonic). Exceptions: crystolecules in recycling storage, somehow broken crystolecules, mechanosynthesis capability demonstrations (like test-prints), failed prototypes, …
★ Crystolecules usually but not always are in their size at the lowermost physical size limit to fulfill their function.
★ Crystolecules are usually but not always highly symmetrical.
Base material
Given their nanoscale gemstone like nature unfortunately crystolecules and their assemblies crystollecular (machine) elements cannot be produced yet (state 2015..2025).
Specific focus
Of especially high interest are diamond, its hexagonal version called lonsdaleite, and diamond like compounds.
Many semiconductiors fall in this class too.
As of 2025 other compound still remain largely unexplored for use as crystolecules.
A subset of crystolecuels (or gemstone-like molecular elements) are
diamondoid crystolecules (diamondoid molecular elements).
General focus
Gemstone-like compounds are the most suitable base material for crystolecules.
Beside classical gemstones like diamond other semi-precious minerals including
bio-minerals that are synthesizable in solution also fall under gemstone-like compounds.
Along the incremental path these may be accessible earlier.
See page: technology level IIfor semi advanced precursor technologies.
Some gemstones like periclase MgO and Transition metal nonmetallides (TiC, TiN, TiO)
transition over from mainly covalent to ionic salt like. See next section.
Exotic focus
Use of pure metals and metal alloys is limitedly suitable for crystolecules for a number of reasons.
- Mechanical slising interfaces cant't be done with blank metal on metal surfaces due to seamless metallic welding on contact. Also surfaces are likly hard to passivate for sliding interfaces due to the catalytic natue of metals. A full gem layer may suffice (possibly oxidic) but that just goes back to gemstones. Structural applications are less problematic but face issues too.
- Metallic bonds with free electron gas are not directed like covalent bonds and slippery. High performance gemstones are notably stronger especially when sticking to abundant elements. Best of todays steels will pale compared to say superelastic sapphire based gem-gum. Full breakage might be a preferrable digital failure mode over plastic deformations.
- Metal ad-atoms on metal surfaces tend to diffuse away from where they have been deposited.
Likely ok with sticking fo flat surfaces in unage and sticking with cryo mechanosynthesis in fabrication.
Assembly
In advanced nanofactories crystolecules would be:
- assembled from small molecule fragments – in the first assembly level – typically mostly irreversible
- assembled to bigger crystolecular units – in the second assembly level – typically partially irreversible
- Diamondoid molecular machine elements (DMMEs) are assemblies of some diamondoid crystolecules implementing one specific mechanical function
- Diamondoid molecular structural elements (DMSEs) are crystolecules or assemblies of some diamondoid crystolecules implementing a structural function
Beware of the "nanodiamond-is-jelly availability bias" misjudgement
No, crystolecules (nanoscale diamond or other gemstones) do not normally behave like jelly. It is just that …
– it is so much easier to simulate them at extremely high speeds and …
– unlike strong non-rubber macroscale materials they don't break or bent at these speeds and …
– unlike macroscale materials they even could dissipate the heat but …
with the important caveat of being as lone standing nanomachine coupled to cooling bulk.
See pages:
- Misleading aspects in animations of diamondoid molecular machine elements
- A better intuition for diamondoid nanomachinery than jelly
Beware of the stroboscopic illusion
| well animated bearing The fast thermal vibrations are more realistically blurred out. The remaining localized periodic average deformations (visible here if one looks closely) are highly reversible. (See page abbout "superlubrication".) |
badly animated bearing The present stroboscopic effect can be misleading in that friction is likely to be grossly overestimated. It deceivingly looks like as if the operating speed would be close to the speed of the thermal vibration. If that where the case it indeed would cause massive friction (strong coupling of motions with similar frequency). |
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Simulated DMEs often show a misleading stroboscopic effect which can make one believe that the operation frequencies lie near the thermal frequencies, giving the false impression of enormously high friction but actually the contrary is true.
See: "Friction in gem-gum technology" and "Superlubrication".
Gemstone like molecular machine elements with sliding interfaces will work exceptionally well. (See: Superlubricity)
There is both experimental evidence and theoretical evidence for that.
(See e.g.: Evaluating the Friction of Rotary Joints in Molecular Machines (paper) and the friction analysis in Nanosystems)
Terminology
Since the here described physical objects have no official name yet (2016..2021)
something sensible must be invented to refer to them in this wiki.
"Crystolecules" – Term introduction and definition
These objects are somewhat of a cross between a crystal and a molecule.
So let's use the term "crystolecule".
This is nice because it's:
- quite accurate in descriptiveness
- quite conveniently usable in natural language
- quite memorably (catchy) because it seems unusual (clickbait effect)
Specificall lets use the term "crystolecule" for ones that are typically are:
- small – stiff – minimal
- structural
- monolithic (like illustrated)
- do (typically) not yet feature irreversibly enclosed moving parts – (no form closure yet – there may be exceptions)
- are assembled purely at the first assembly level by piezochemical mechanosynthesis (direct in place assembly)
Crystolecular units
See main page: Crystolecular unit
These are bigger assemblies of basic structural crystolecules.
Assembled from crystolecules either via seamless covalent welding or Van der Waals force sticking and/or shape closing interlocking
Let's use a different name for crystolecules or assemblies of crystolecules that are typically:
- a bit bigger
- also functional in nature not just structural
- not monolithic
- do feature irreversibly enclosed moving parts
- may involve pick and place post assembly (from constituent crystolecules) at the next higher assembly level
Generally crystolecules and crystolecular units will be made from gemstone like compounds.
One subclass already investigated a bit in molecular detail are the crystolecular units made from diamondoid like compound.
Specifically some ones made from diamond and moissanite where investigated.
See: Examples of diamondoid molecular machine elements.
Diamondoid molecular (structural and machine) elements – Term introduction and definition
Let's use:
- Diamondoid molecular structural elements (DMSEs) for structural ones of all sizes including beside small ones also bigger ones
- Diamondoid molecular machine elements (DMMEs) for functional ones that are typically bigger in size
- Diamondoid molecular elements (DMEs) for structures of all sized including both of the former
- ("Diamondoid" can be replaced by "Gemoid" to include more general gemstone like compounds like e.g. sapphire)
Examples:
- On this wiki: Examples of diamondoid molecular machine elements
- (DMMEs) (examples) like e.g. bearings and gears have completely passivated surfaces.
- (DMSEs) (example) these are typically only partially passivated. They can expose multiple radicals on some of their surfaces that act as AP welding interfaces to complementary surfaces. The assembly step of connecting surface interfaces is here called "seamless covalent welding" and is done in the next higher assembly level (assembly level II?). Seamless covalent welding it usually is irreversible but sparsely linking versions may be reversible.
Delineation – what crystolecules must not be confused with
Crystolecules must not be confused with crystals out of folded up polypeptide molecules aka proteins (that are made today to find the locations of their constituent atoms).
To emphasize the distinction one could use the term "covalent crystolecules".
Related
- Terminology for parts
- For components at different size scales see: Components
- Stroboscopic illusion in crystolecule animations
- Example crystolecules
- nanoparticles
- In place assembly
- putting molecule-fragments together to crystolecules Mechanosynthesis core
- putting crystolecules together to microcomponents Crystolecule assembly robotics
Terms for bigger assemblies of several crystolecules but not yet as big (and disassemblable) as microcomponents
- Diamondoid crystolecular machine element – diamond like structure – See: Diamondoid
- Crystolecular machine element – more general gemstone like structure – See: gemstone like compound
- assembled from molecule fragments
- assembled to crystolecular elements
- assembly is typically irreversible
External links
At K. Eric Drexlers website:
- A shaft in a sleeve can form a rotary bearing
- Sleeve bearings have been designed and modeled in atomic detail (here shown minus the stroboscopic illusion)
- structural elements
- machine elements
- Design of Nanomachines using NanoEngineer-1
- "Nanomachines: How the Videos Lie to Scientists" (archive) (old dead link)
- without stroboscopic illusion: Molecular dynamics simulation of small bearing design
- A Low-Friction Molecular Bearing Assembly Tutorial, v1