Please enjoy the interview below with our SAB (Scientific Advisory Board) Member, 
Dan Morse of UCSB and a 2006 Scientific American Top 50 Researcher.

Dr. Daniel Morse is the Wilcox Professor of biotechnology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. 
He received his BA in biochemistry from Harvard, and his doctorate in molecular biology from the 
Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He initially taught at Harvard before joining the faculty at UCSB. 
He founded the field of silicon biotechnology, and has received numerous academic honors and awards. 
He was recently honored by MIT Technology Review as one of the top 50 technology innovators of 2006. 
He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of nanotechnology.com. 

Dr. Daniel Morse is using techniques borrowed from nature to create superior technologies.

The interview below is sponsored by PurpleGoldMedia's 12-page, New York Times Nanotechnology insert
scheduled for mid-September 2007. Advertising and editorial opportunities are available and you should 
contact paulettinger@purplegoldmedia.com - Paul Ettinger at +44 (0) 7894 074007 or 
georgesbanna@purplegoldmedia.com - Georges Banna at + 44 (0) 77134 01117 in London as soon as possible to reserve your space.

Contact:  paulettinger@purplegoldmedia.com       OR         georgesbanna@purplegoldmedia.com

PS - Have you read Nanotech Fortunes yet? Probably the most important investment book on small and
advanced technologies ever written. Just see the incredible reviews on Amazon! 

BUY TODAY AT  https://www.nanotechnology.com/cart/ 
 

Dr. Daniel Morse is using techniques borrowed from nature to create superior technologies.

Daniel Morse Interview

Questions by Sander Olson. Answers by Daniel Morse

Tell us about yourself. What is your background, and on what projects are you currently working?

I am currently the Wilcox Professor of Biotechnology, Professor of Biomolecular Science and Engineering and Director of the UCSB-MIT-Caltech Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I received my BA in biochemistry from Harvard, and my PhD in molecular biology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. I was a professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at Harvard before becoming a faculty member at the University of California. I am widely known as the founder of “silicon biotechnology”. My research focuses on using biotechnology and molecular genetics to dissect the molecular mechanisms that underlie complex biological processes, such as energy and information processing and nanofabrication, and then "translating" the resulting information to develop new routes to high-performance materials with complex functionality. 
 

How can learning natural processes allow us to improve existing technologies?

By studying the underlying mechanisms inherent in natural processes we can transfer this knowledge into what I refer to as “hard engineering”. In other words, we endeavor to discover the chemical and physical principles that provide the unique advantages inherent in natural processes, such as shell formation and silica biosynthesis, and to then translate these processes into making useful products. Since most biological molecules such as proteins are heat labile, natural processes are typically low temperature. By contrast, most modern production methods require costly high-temperature operation. 
 

Describe your research into semiconductors. Can semiconductors be made by mimicking biological processes?

Our research shows that semiconductors need not be made using expensive, high-temperature processes. We have been able to make a wide variety of semiconductors in the form of nanostructured thin-films and nanoparticles - many with forms or structures that could not be achieved by conventional high-temperature methods. Nanostructured thin films have high surface area and other properties advantageous for energy applications. We can control the growth of these nanostructures kinetically – by using regulated catalysis instead of heat. This is what happens in biology, and this process allows us to make materials that could not be made using conventional manufacturing. 
 

What other technologies besides semiconductors could potentially benefit from these low-temperature biologically inspired techniques?

We envision a number of products that could be significantly improved by using these processes. We could create safe, energy-dense batteries for hybrid vehicles, more efficient and less costly solar cells, better catalysts, improved infrared detectors and adaptive optical materials. 
 

Describe your research into abalone shells. Why are these shells instructive to the field of nanotechnology?

Abalone shells are composed primarily of calcium carbonate – chalk -  yet are 3,000 times more fracture resistant than simple calcium carbonate. The shell is tough enough to drive nails, and our team wanted to discover the underlying mechanisms that made such a strong material out of such a weak and brittle mineral.  We examined the structure of abalone shells, which are composed of alternating layers of minerals interspersed with gossamer thin protein sheets. We discovered that the self-assembly of these nanostructured films of protein creates a series of nanopores. These nanopores act as a molecular stencil to guide the growth of the crystalline material from one layer to the next. Researchers previously thought that abalone shells were made in a manner similar to the way plywood is made – one layer at a time. But we discovered that the mineral is growing continuously through many layers, through these protein sheets. Furthermore, the abalone shell composite is self-healing.  It resists cracking, and heals microcracks by employing molecular “sacrificial bonds” which reform when severed. We subsequently discovered that this mechanism is important in bone as well. 
 

More recently, you have done work on silica nanostructures. Why are these important?

Our more recent research is based on the mechanism we discovered biology uses to create intricate skeletal structures made of silica. Certain marine sponges essentially have glass skeletons. In some cases these are simply glass needles, in other cases they are complex and beautiful structures that almost seem to be woven out of fiberglass. We discovered that the cells of the sponge have an enzyme that facilitates the low temperature synthesis of these glass needles – the enzyme acts as both a catalyst and a template. We discovered a way to replace the enzyme and create semiconducting crystals with a modification of this low temperature, low cost, and efficient process. Unlike conventional semiconductor fabrication techniques, which are quite expensive, we can make semiconductors from water and aqueous solutions. 
 

Will any commercial products from your research emerge within the next five years?

We believe that this technique could have myriad commercial applications, including electrical storage batteries, photovoltaics, improved infrared detectors, better medical ultrasonic imaging, and catalysts.  For instance, we have created excellent high surface-area electrodes from the metal oxides we have made, and this could result in substantially more efficient batteries. We should also be able to make extremely inexpensive integrated circuits, although these chips might not be suitable for high-performance microprocessors. With regard to solar voltaics, we are just developing the first prototypes, but we should be able to use these technologies to inexpensively create highly efficient solar cells. The first commercial applications could emerge within the next five years. 
 

What institutions are funding your research? Are any corporations providing financing? 

We are part of the Very High Efficiency Solar Cell (VHESC) program at DARPA, which may be the world’s largest solar R&D program. We also receive funding from several other Government agencies, including the Department of Energy, the US Army Research Office, the National Science Foundation, NASA and the Department of Commerce. 

More information on the VESC program can be found at: http://www.darpa.gov/sto/solicitations/vhesc/proposers.htm

More information on the US Army Research Office can be found at: http://www.arl.army.mil/www/default.cfm?Action=29&Page=29

More information on the National Science Foundation can be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/

More information on the NOAA can be found at: http://www.noaa.gov/

More information on the Department of Energy can be found at: http://www.energy.gov/

We are also collaborating with several high-technology firms aiming to develop specific applications of our technology.

Outside of your own work, what excites you the most today, in small and advanced technologies?

I am fascinated by the potential of biotech to reveal and mimic high-efficiency processes that have evolved from millennia of biological evolution. Natural processes are constrained by both a limited set of materials with which to work, and low temperature processes, yet they result in materials and systems with amazing properties. The close integration between molecular biology, physics, chemistry, and device engineering is particularly exciting. 
 

How do you see your research advancing during the next decade?

During the next decade, the seeds of current bionanotechnology research will begin to bear fruit in practical devices. Some devices, such as biosensors, are easy to predict, because such devices employ engineered biomolecules that are absolutely necessary for molecular recognition. But the energy field could be transformed by the nanobio research we are conducting. For instance, if we could inexpensively mass-produce solar cells that were 50% efficient, that would radically transform the energy equation. Similarly, fuel cells have enormous untapped potential.  This could easily be a multi-billion dollar industry within a decade.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Nanotech Company, LLC - 3225 Del Mar Heights Road #345 - San Diego, CA 92130