Can I Do Nano-Tech in My Basement?

[s09]

Hi all,

I'm just curious, is there a way to do nano-tech in your basement-type-of-setup? I don't expect to have a plate that I feed raw-materials into, input a design that I want and have it make an atomically correct structure. But it would be nice to arrange a bunch of atoms in a particular order. I know there are apps that simulate this, but I _really_ want to do this in real-life.

Anyone? Anything?

Much appreciated.

 

[Danger]

I know that this is not what you want for an answer, but as a starting point I submit that you are in fact achieving your goal every time you grow crystals such as salt or hypo or iodine from solution. Making little machines, on the other hand, is a much different proposition. As far as I know, you need some sort of etching/deposition equipment similar to that used to manufacture computer chips.

edit: I suppose that it could be done biologically, by having mineral-bearing microorganisms deposit material at specific locations, but then you still have the even more problematic task of training them to crap in the right places.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Would thin film interference count as nano technology? The thickness could be not more than a few hundred nm.

 

[Danger]

Would thin film interference count as nano technology?

I would think so, given the structural scale involved and the fact that something useful can be done with the product. It seems to me that in some cases it should be required to differentiate between nanotech and nanomachines. One of the overlapping devices that I can think of is the artificial "gecko hair" that allows things to stick anywhere.