Bionanotechnology-Learning

from Nature
 Jekhane Dekhibe Chai, U
 December 29th, 1959, at the annual meeting of
the American Physical Society
At California Institute of Technology

Theres Plenty of Room at the Bottom. An

Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics

Richard P Feynman
(1918-1988)
 Professor Norio Taniguchi
of the Tokyo Science
University, introduced the
term nanotechnology, in
1974. He described
nanotechnology as the
Norio Taniguchi processing of, separation,
(1912-1999) consolidation, and
deformation of materials by
one atom or by one
molecule."
 Engines of Creation: The Coming
Era of Nanotechnology
Nanosystems: Molecular
Machinery, Manufacturing, and
Computation

He was ultimately responsible for the term

Eric Drexler nanotechnology to acquire its current sense.
He gave the idea of molecular assemblers.
(1955- )

He also gave the idea of hypothetical end-of-the-world scenario involving molecular

nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating robots consume all matter
on Earth while building more of themselves,[a scenario that has been called
ecophagy ("eating the environment").
 Gene and Norman Hackerman
Professor of Chemistry and Professor
of Physics and Astronomy at Rice
University (Nobel prize for
buckminsterfullerene, also known as
buckyballs in 1996)

Richard Errett Smalley

(1943-2005)

Smalley died of leukemia on October 28, 2005

and after his death, the US Senate passed a
resolution to honor Smalley, crediting him as the
Father of Nanotechnology.
 The Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University
Professor at Harvard, one of only 24 University
Professorships at the institution as of 2014.

Self-assembly

George M. Whitesides
(1939- )
 Black Paint for Hair
A paste of lead oxide, lime, and water, mixed and the resulting
nanoparticAles galena, (~ 5 nm).
Black pigment melanin was achieved, which was distributed in keratin hair.
Coloring paste reacts with the sulfur and provides stability even hair color.
Blue paint Mayan kept bright color to our days.
It was prepared by mixing the particles of wood and clay indigo.
Organic dyes are rapidly destroyed, but in conjunction with inorganic
nanostructures formed a good defense.
Damascus swords have a very solid steel blade that is razor cuts the hair
on the fly.
In the steel includes carbon nanotubes, which are formed by a special
forging.
 The secrets of these productions indulged
from generation to generation, and the
reasons for these unique properties have not
been investigated.
Only after the appearance of nanoscience,
scientists were able to find an explanation for
this unique property.
 Nanotechnology is engineering at the molecular
(groups of atoms) level
It is the collective term for a range of
technologies, techniques and processes that
involve the manipulation of matter at the
smallest scale (from 1 to 100 nm2)

With 15,342 atoms, this parallel-shaft speed reducer gear is one of

the largest nanomechanical devices ever modeled
 Approaches in
nanotechnology
Top-down Approach Bottom-up Approach

Creating nano-scale materials Assembling nano-materials

by physically or chemically atom-by-atom or molecule-by
breaking down larger materials molecule (self assembling)
The hierarchal process of self-assembly into complex structures. The
formation of order assemblies at the nano-scale can work either by the
bottom-up organization of molecules to form an order structure or the
engineering of a pre-formed pattern to serve as a template for molecular
organization.
Interdisciplinary
Milestones of the development of modern biotechnology into bionanotechnology
 The Interface Between Nanotechnology and
Biotechnology: Bionanotechnology
Technological applications using systems and devices
with orders at the nanometer scale ( 1nm = one
thousandth of a micrometer/ one millionth of a
millimeter - 1/1,000,000,000 meter)
Molecular systems, molecular assemblies (such as
quantum dots), and organized self-assembled devices
and machines
Bottom-up approach in which simple components at
the nanometric scale
join together to form complex machines, devices, or
instruments,
by spontaneous processes that involve molecular
recognition and selfassembly events
Supramolecular (Bio)Chemistry: The Theoretical
Basis for Self-Assembly
the study of the structure and function of the
entities formed by association of two or more
chemical species by non-covalent interactions
(assemblies)
are distinct from regular molecules that are
being formed by continuous chemical covalent
bonding between atoms
Supramolecular chemistry is chemistry beyond
the molecule
 as simple as functional dimers (e.g., Fos-Jun
transcription factor) and as complex as
molecular nanomachines such as the
ribosome or molecular motors
biology can be considered as a most advanced
playground of supramolecular chemistry as
complex biology functions is being achieved
by the formation of complex molecular
structures by noncovalent interactions
 These processes in which large ordered
assemblies are being formed by non-covalent
association of simpler building blocks are the
essence of bottom-up design.
In this approach simple building blocks are
joined together to form supermolecules or
assemblies that have a distinct morphology
and often also specific function or unique
physicochemical properties.
The Next Steps for Self-Association at the Nano-
Scale
The formation of ordered structures by self-
association at the nanoscale is just the first steps
toward the formation of ordered molecular
structures
The next steps involve the formation of hetero-
component assemblies, such as observed with
the biomolecular assemblies and machines
The formation of such structures should be based
on the combination of recognition modules that
are evolve from geometrical complementary but
also on chemical recognition
Self-assembly of molecules into
ordered non-covalent
structures at the nano-scale.
Complementary geometry
guides the association.
 Many complex structures could be formed by the self-
association of biomolecules
The ability of partially complementary DNA strands, which
form molecular junctions, to self-assemble into two-
dimensional nanowires and three-dimensional nanocubes
the ability of peptide molecules to self-assemble into tubes,
spheres, plates, tapes, and hydrogels with nano-scale order
Applications in tissue engineering and regeneration, the
design of novel antibacterial agents that form
nanochannels, and the fabrication of metallic nanowires
Biology in Nanotechnology and Nano-Sciences in
Biotechnology
The practice of biology or biotechnology at the nano-
scale could be divided into two main categories
The first one is the technological applications of self-
assembled nano-scale ordered biomolecular entities in
various fields
These disciplines may not have any biological relevance
per se
The role of biology in these cases is mainly based on its
remarkable specificity and diversity and its ability to
facilitate the formation of very complex nanostructures
by relatively simple building blocks
The application of biology and biomolecules into
technological applications at the nano-scale
(Bionanotechnology)
 Such structures can serve in future computers or other
devices that may have no direct association with biology
Yet, the biology may provide tools that are not currently
available by any other means
the practice of molecular lithography in which protein
molecules of few nano-meters served as a resistor for the
fabrication of gold wires on DNA molecules
Other directions may include the formation of novel
materials of unique rigidity, surface chemistry, or other
physicochemical properties that may prove useful in the
automobile or space industries or simple in consumers
goods
 The second direction that is quite distinct is the application
of technologies that were developed at the nano-scale for
the advancement of biological processes, such as tissue
engineering or diagnostics
These nano-scale structures may not include any biological
molecules of nanoscale ordered as they could be
completely utilize silicone-based structures (such as in the
case of a lab-on-a-chip) or carbon nanostructures (such
as in the case of tissue engineering on carbon nanotubes-
based substrate)
Such an application could actually revolutionize the field of
biotechnology by allowing the early diagnosis of disease,
the on-line monitoring of therapeutic procedures, and
theformation of tissue in the test tubes
 It is worth mentioning that the actual use of either the
terms nanobiotechnology or bionanotechnology is
quite a recent one.

According to the MedLine database, the term

nanobiotechnology appears first in 2000, while the first
hit for bionanotechnology is only in 2004.

Nanobiotechnology is also a much more common term,

which is more than 4 times more common that of
bionanotechnology.

Yet, in many of the cases the use of the later term would
have been much more appropriate.
Bionanotechnology as the use of biological assemblies for various
applications that may not be directionally associated with biology while
nanobiotechnology is the use of nano-science for biological applications
 The Combination of Bionanotechnology and
Nanobiotechnology
In spite of the distinction between bionanotechnology and
nanobiotechnology, it should be stressed for future
applications, especially complex ones that both fields could be
merged
For example, in the field of tissue engineering, self-assembled
biomolecular structures could serve as a three-dimensional
template for the formation of complex organs in the test-tube

In these applications, the biomolecules serve exactly as nano-

carbon structures

Nevertheless, the biomolecular nano-scaffold may provide

unique advantages such as biocompatibility and the ability for
decoration with biological signaling motifs
 In the field of nano-bio-diagnosis peptide
nanotubes could serve as nano-scale elements
for the improvement of the sensitivity of the
signals and the specificity
Here again the biomolecular nano-scale
assemblies serve in principle just as the carbon or
inorganic nanostructures
Yet, the biological nanotubes have many
advantages as they provide a unique anchor for
the conjugation of signal-enhancing entities like
enzymes or antibodies
Nanobionics and Bio-inspired Nanotechnology

The final introduction to the field of nanobiology

(both bionanotechnology and nanobiotechnology)
should also include bionics and bio-inspired
technology
Bionics, which stems from [bi(o)- + (electr)onics]
could be described as the application of biological
principles and mechanisms to the design and
fabrication of engineering systems
Although the term bionic was coined only in the
late 1950s by the US Air Force, these principles
were already explored many years before
 One of the earliest examples and most significant
examples should be the studies of Leonardo da
Vinci at the end of the 15th century
His famous suggestions for the principles of a
helicopter were based on his studies and
extensive observation of the flight of bird
Other bionic applications include the use of the
nose of the dolphin as a model for a pear-shaped
bow protuberance of ships or self-cleaning
surfaces that are based on the surface properties
of lotus leaves
The drawing of a flying machine , based on the natural principles of the flying
mechanisms birds, made by Leonardo da Vinci at the end of 15th century
 It should be stressed that the aim of bionics is not
merely to copy nature but rather to understand
its principles and use them as a stimulus and
motivation for innovations
Thus, bio-inspired technology may be more
suitable name to describe this activity
As most of the bionics is based on the formation
of macroscopic objects and machines, it could
also include nano-scale machines
 It is expected that in years to come, the same
mimicking as was preformed in the
macroscopic world will also be applied to the
microscopic and nanoscopic world
This includes simple applications such as self-
cleaning surfaces at the nano-scale but could
be explored for the formation of much more
complex structures such as molecular motors
or even molecular machines
 Lessons from Nature
Nature is the master of bionanotechnology
Nature depicts how soluble molecules are able to
recognize and bind to specific materials to shape
into nanostructures
Nature offers functional proteins and many other
compounds at cellular level of great significance
to life on earth
Natural biomolecules such as DNA, proteins,
peptides, lipids, carbohydrates act as templates
to arrange inorganic substances such as metals
on nanoscale
 Lotus effect

Lotus effect refers to hydrophobicity displayed by the lotus leaves

The effect is attributed to the micro-nano roughness of the structure

surface of the lotus leaf and minimizes the surface area to 2-3% only

It further reduces the adhesion forces between the droplets and the leaf
surface& rolls off surface making it self-cleaning surface and resistant
 Inspired by nature, the self-cleaning superhydrophobic
products being engineered today are destined to
become important and novel products in our everyday
lives
Some products include: coatings that reduce the water
drag on boats and protect surfaces and equipment
exposed to fresh or salt water, building materials that
remain clean with little maintenance and are better
protected from wear from the elements, and textiles
that are resistant to staining and/or remain dry when
submerged in water.
 Gecko Feet and Superglue

Gecko lizard has nanostructured hair which are 3-130 nm in length and splits at the
ends into tinier hooks

Gecko can climb smooth surfaces without falling due to its nanostructured body hair

The superglue ability of Gecko is similar to carbon nanotubes which can act as gecko
feet by extending microscopically from a surface and curve like a hook
Flow Sensors Based on Blind Fish Hair Structures

Astyanax is a blind fish but for its survival , it has developed hair on its body
called cupula

Cupula is the eye of fish which can sense underwater hydrodynamic motion and
is capable of detecting predators and prays

Inspired by this natural phenomenon, scientists have created artificial sensors

similar to cupular sensors which can sense movements better than blind fish
itself!!
 Natural Bionanomachinery
Natural bionanomachines are made to function inside cells
Bionanomachines are designed to be stable when
surrounded by water
Bionanomachines cannot be designed or analyzed in other
solvents or in vacuum because they only show their true
structure and function when placed in water
The forces holding bionanomachies together are strong
enough to build a stable structure despite the constant
jostling of thermal motion and battering by water
molecules
The forces are weak enough to allow the construction and
demolition of bionanomachines with modest energy
resources
 Butterfly wings

The bright color wings of butterfly are

consequence of the nanotopography
of the wings surface and its interaction
with light

The resulting colors are quite striking and

visible at a great distance
Some examples of these available
and up-coming products include GEs butterfly-inspired design reported
bio-inspired photonic cosmetics a new class of thermal imaging sensors with
without chemical pigments, new enhanced heat sensitivity and response
unusual fabrics for the use in the speed.
fashion industry, paper with
exceptional whiteness and
brightness etc.
Virus
A typical virus is between 10-300 nm

Their small size and similarity of some

functions to molecular machinery

A virus with its protein coat, called virion

form crystal like non-living molecular
materials