Bio-Nanotechnology (BN)

Project Manager: Harry Partridge, Ph.D., NASA Ames Research Center

The goal of the BN project is to further and exploit bio-nanotechnology to increase NASA science and mission capabilities. BN will focus research and development efforts on NASA's interests by enabling revolutionary lighter and smaller spacecraft; powerful, small, low-power-consuming computers; radiation-hardened electronics; nanoelectronics; biosensors for astrobiology and astronaut health monitoring; biomedical sensors and in vivo medical devices; artificial neural systems; robotics; novel nanoelectromechanical systems; and advanced materials for NASA's aerospace mission applications.

Principal government customers of BN are Biological and Physical Research Enterprise (Code U); Aerospace Technologies Enterprise (Code R); Space Sciences Enterprise (Code S); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); and National Cancer Institute (NCI). Principal industry and academic customers are the aerospace technology industry and other providers of technology to NASA missions; the computational sciences; and university research communities researching bio-nanotechnology.

BN is organized into three research elements:

Nanoelectronics

To revolutionize the way NASA accomplishes its missions, it needs computers with extraordinary speed and memory capacity, as well as powerful new electronic science tools. To reduce power consumption and increase resistance to harsh radiation environments, these devices must be manufactured from nanoelectronics. The Nanoelectronics element of the BN project will focus, in the near term, primarily on the feasibility of fundamental nanoelectronic building blocks and techniques for their fabrication.

Nano Structures and Materials

For the next few years, the Nano Structures and Materials element of the BN project will focus intensely on the production scale-up of carbon nanotubes; the development of carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer matrix composites for structural applications; and the development of analysis, design and test methods to incorporate these materials into new vehicle concepts and validate their performance and life. This group will also explore the use of other nanotubes, such as boron nitride for high-temperature applications, and investigate the use of crystalline nanotubes to exploit the full potential of these materials. In the longer term, they will explore other forms of nanostructured materials for nanophase metals and ceramics, lubricants, thin-film materials (e.g., solar sails), and self-assembling and self-repairing materials.

Sensors and Components for Microspacecraft

NASA's challenge to detect ultra-weak signals from sources at astronomical distances makes every photon or particle a precious commodity that must be fully analyzed to retrieve all the available information it carries. Sensitive detection and molecule-specific discrimination are key requirements for many NASA applications, including in situ science and life detection, planetary protection, astronaut life support, and advanced healthcare for medical autonomy in space. The Sensors and Components for Microspacecraft element of the BN project will investigate nanostructured-sensing elements, in which each absorbed quantum generates low-energy excitations that record and amplify the full range of information. Field and inertial sensors will also be developed that harness the quantum effects of photons, electrons and atoms.

BN Project Milestones

Design and fabrication of a reliable and reproducible technique to grow a carbon-nanotube (CNT)-based inverter logic circuit. (Project milestone 8.1)
Design, fabrication, and characterization of a CNT-based transistor. (Project milestone 8.1.1)
Development of a nanotechnology sensor for biological or environmental monitoring, showing high sensitivity/selectivity and low mass/power. (Project milestone 8.5)
Demonstration of the feasibility of nanotechnology-based chemical and biosensors, as well as manufacturing approaches for low-power nanoelectronic components. (Project milestone 8.5.1)
Development and demonstration of molecular-electronics-based chemical sensor technology for environmental health monitoring. (Project milestone 8.5.2)
Development of a reliable, repeatable fabrication procedure not involving manual assembly for nanoelectronic components. (Project milestone 8.7)
Demonstration of a nanoelectronic device based on CNTs, nanowires, and/or molecular wires for electronic and sensing applications. (Project milestone 8.7.1)
Demonstration of the self-assembly of molecular wires and controlled assembly of CNTs and nanowire for the fabrication of electronic devices. (Project milestone 8.7.2)
Development of a fabrication procedure to link nanostructured materials to macrosize units while maintaining properties of individual nanoelements. (Project milestone 8.7.3)
Nanodevice self-assembly. Self-assembly techniques for nanoelectronics device integration. (Project milestone 8.7.4)
Development of new nanotechnology-based sensors and the enabling materials, structures and electronic devices. (Project milestone 8.10)
Demonstration of CNT-based electrochemical detection technology for DNA without need of sample amplification and labeling. (Project milestone 8.10.1)
Demonstration of nanotube biosensors for detection of cancer molecular signatures. (Project milestone 8.10.2)
Development of system (electronics, pattern recognition software) to identify DNA. (Project milestone 8.10.3)
Demonstration of a bio-molecular probe to detect specific biomarker signature in-vitro for disease detection and astronaut health monitoring. (Project milestone 8.10.4)
Fabrication of a synthetic nanopore that can be reliably used for DNA sequence identification. (Project milestone 8.10.5)
Nanopore-based device capable of determining DNA sequence or polymeric equivalent variation. (Project milestone 8.10.6)
Design of novel devices, architectures and algorithms for evolutionary and adaptive behavior in nanoelectronics. (shared Project milestone 8.13)
Development of a framework for designing and understanding the operation of novel molecular electronic and computing devices. (Project milestone 8.13.1)
Exploration, design, and characterization of novel devices and architectures to exploit advances in nanoelectronics for switching, logic, communications, and sensing functions. (Project milestone 8.13.3)

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