Nothing of the kind with organic yet infinitely smaller submissions

After several years of discrete research, the team of a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Angela Belcher, came to demonstrate the feasibility of a stack auto-fabriquée by natural replication of a virus. On the border between nanotechnology and biotechnology, this technique was recently detailed in the journal "Science". It opens the way for a list of technological innovations without end, ira laptops battery lighter and longer until the development of tiny equipment travel into the human body to treat him, powered by the batteries almost invisible to the naked eye.

Although Angela Belcher believes that it will take another two years to present a real working prototype, the success of his first experience of laboratory gave confidence to many industrialists. The team of MIT is therefore able to genetically modify a non-pathogenic virus, so that its surface is able to attract metal particles, in particular the cobalt. Millions of copies of the virus were then made contact with a solution containing electrically charged polymers. The resulting mixture was then filed on a smooth surface and did the rest, the ability of the virus to reproduce itself: the surface was soon covered so homogeneous, giving thus rise to a micro-organism able to conserve electrical energy that could potentially be used to power an engine.

Angela Belcher is not in the test run. Two years ago, at the University of Austin, Texas, she had already used the same technique of a virus reproducible to produce a very fine film, intended to serve as a basis for the Assembly of magnetic memories, or even tiny microprocessors. "Most of the work carried out by genetic manipulation, by giving to an organization, which normally should not produce electrodes, the necessary information to make it and then happen seamlessly", says Angela Belcher.

Applied to the battery, the technique already offers promising directions. The fact that these nanostructures require not the protection of heavy alloys used packaging, as is the case today for traditional batteries, size, these new batteries will last three times longer, esteem team of MIT.

Moreover, as obtained ultrafine film is transparent, it could be directly pressed on a screen, for example, this would produce particularly fine, possibly even flexible terminals.

In any event, the necessary improvement of the technique will not only go through university laboratories. Indeed, Angela Belcher co-founded, three years ago already, a start-up in Silicon Valley, Cambrios, which has an "exclusive" licence to use the technologies developed by its founder. And indeed, this start-up is regarded as one of the most promising among those who have become, like her, at the intersection of the high-tech, the biotech and nanotechnology. A little more than a year ago, she received $ 12 million in a second round of funding from several reputable venture capital firms. These include In-Q-Tel, the capital arm of the CIA in Silicon Valley, which has already invested in nearly 100 businesses, developing all of the technology that can not only be of interest to the agencies but also high-potential market.

Further miniaturization

According to Michael Knapp, CEO of Cambrios, interest In-Q-Tel is explained by the fact that his company could be the first to successfully implant an "organic" battery in the RFID chips. The latter does not hide that he is working on specific projects for the US Army, without being more specific.

In any event, the objective of Cambrios is marketing its first proteins as early as 2008, when it will continue to ask if our technology is viable", says Michael Knapp. Like many technology firms in Silicon Valley, the start-up is not preparing to become itself an industrial player. It will sell its technology as genetically modified organisms, accompanied by technical descriptions showing how these organisms respond to materials used by the high-tech industry. In particular semiconductor manufacturers looking for more of miniaturization, coupled with an improvement in performance.

Naturally, Cambrios is not the only start-up to capitalize on biotechnology and the infinitely small to leverage the performance of electronic equipment.

Zettacore, issue a spin off from a California laboratory is regarded as one of the most promising American nanotechnology firms in this area. Recognized as such by the Economic Forum in Davos, end of 2004, it has already attracted the most respected venture capital firms of Silicon Valley, who already paid him more than 23 million. It has developed a memory "molecular" prototype of the size of only a few nanometers. The principle is to genetically modify selected molecules for example the chlorophyle plants so that they can be charged electrically to store binary information. And become elements of basic computer memory, or even electronic components.

Cambrios, Zettacore wants to use the biological molecules properties that they breed and "manufacture" and more dense than those designed submissions today. For Steve Jurvetson, one of the major investors of the start-up, its technology has the potential to meet the concern of semiconductor manufacturers who see crab-wise the limits of miniaturization of components made of Silicon. Indeed, more these are miniaturisent and more heat reflected in their circuits application of energy to cool and threatens their proper functioning. Nothing of the kind with "organic", yet infinitely smaller submissions...