Wade Adams

To identify the one technological breakthrough that could completely revolutionize the energy industry, nanotechnology would be a contender. Arguably, nano has the potential to revolutionize much more than energy. But even within that realm, the possibilities seem endless.

Wade Adams, Director of the Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology at Rice University

One of the world-renowned centers for nano study is at Rice University, where the pioneering efforts of the late Richard Smalley resulted in the Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, an institute that now bears his name. Wade Adams is the director of the institute.

Adams explained that his “institute” is not just a building with classrooms and laboratories; it is a “virtual” institute that coordinates the collaboration of scientists and organizations around the world as well as establishes new centers focused on nanoscale research. Adams, who retired from the US Air Force after 32 years working in the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory, joined Rice in 2002 at Smalley’s request. He said he had heard Smalley speak at his laboratory in the 1990s about the promise of nanotechnology. “I guess he reeled me in, hook, line, and sinker!” Adams said.

“When Rick made the rather brash statement that carbon nanotubes are the best material we will ever have in the universe to work with, I thought it was a pretty interesting statement,” he added. “At first, I thought he was a crackpot, but he spent a long time convincing us that this may well be true. A Nobel prize winner can get away with that.”

Adams is infectiously bullish on the promise of nano. “It’s going to impact every technology on earth and make it better, sometimes in an evolutionary way and many times in a revolutionary way,” he said. In the energy arena, many efforts are under way to study the potential. For instance, his institute helped set up the Advanced Energy Consortium with the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on using nanosized sensors in reservoir characterization. Rice also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Alberta to study the potential uses of nanotechnology in heavy oil fields.

Nano particles also are very effective at modifying fluid behavior and could be beneficial in production, transmission, and refining. Looking further into the future, nanotechnology potentially could turn hydrocarbons into electrons downhole and carry them to the grid through a nanowire. “Then you don’t have to worry about CO2 sequestration,” Adams said.

Discussions about nanotechnology can quickly turn to what seems like pie-in-the-sky ruminations, but Adams reinforces the fact that many of these things could happen, with the right people, the right research, and, of course, the right funding. “When you turn nano-savvy people loose on problems, you come up with a lot of ideas,” he said.

Offshore construction will receive a boost from nanotechnology in terms of being able to make much lighter materials that have the same, or more, strength than steel. Downstream applications include sensors, catalysis, stronger materials, liners, and corrosion prevention. And alternative energy sources such as solar can gain huge benefits.

“I’ve heard of two or three new designs of solar cells that are beyond photovoltaics,” he said. “Using nanotechnology could create much higher efficiency for converting sunlight into electricity, maybe as high as 90% to 95% conversion. That would totally revolutionize the solar industry and make it extremely viable.”

Ultimately, nano has the potential to create extremely high-strength fibers. “If you get really funky with these fibers, you could build a space elevator – we could climb a 22,000- mile (56,980-km) rope into space instead of launching a rocket. That was science fiction a decade ago, but now it’s just a really hard engineering problem.”

It will require bright engineers to solve these problems, and Adams said the challenge going forward will be to inspire young people to be willing to tackle these problems. “We need smart kids to go into science and engineering,” he said, “and we need to get our best kids to think about alternative careers to law or medicine or business. We need as many kids as possible to tackle these issues for the long term. Some of these are 50-year problems.

“Another one of Rick Smalley’s favorite loves was how to turn kids on to some of these problems. His motto was, ‘Be a scientist, be an engineer, save the world.’”