Digital Matter?: Towards Mechanised Mechanosynthesis

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Computer-controlled chemistry at the single molecule level, a field very much in its infancy, represents arguably the most exciting and, to many, definitive example of the power and potential of nanotechnology. Recent ground-breaking work in Germany and the US has shown that it is possible to drive chemical reactions and to synthesise molecules via interactions driven by a scanning probe. In the UK, the nanoscience groups at Nottingham, Birmingham, and Oxford have demonstrated that atomic/molecular manipulation strategies pioneered at low temperatures can be extended to a room temperature environment. The focus of this fellowship application is to develop next-generation protocols for scanning probe manipulation capable of automated atom-by-atom assembly of, ultimately, three dimensional nanostructures. Our goal is to programme the assembly of matter from its consitutent atoms. This exceptionally challenging objective has the potential to revolutionise key areas of 21st century science including nanofabrication, materials processing, surface chemistry, and the study of low dimensional electron systems.