Dr. Richard E. Smalley from Rice University has passed away in the United States at the age of 62. He was a co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering a new form of carbon, known as buckyball, and was a strong advocate for the potential of nanotechnology in building a more sustainable economy.
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Dr. Smalley died of blood cancer |
Dr. Smalley used his fame as a platform to advocate for increased investment in educating a new generation of scientists and engineers.
When attending conferences and meeting with entrepreneurs, he often spoke about how nanotechnology could transform the economy as well as address challenges related to the environment and energy. Robert Gower, who co-founded Carbon Nanotechnologies with Dr. Smalley—a company commercializing Smalley’s discoveries—stated, “He was like a rock star in the tech world.”
Smalley’s groundbreaking work in science originated from the efforts of Dr. Harold Kroto. Dr. Kroto visited Smalley’s laboratory at Rice University in 1985 to conduct laser evaporation experiments on graphite to understand the structure of carbon-rich stars. When these two scientists, along with several other experts, analyzed the results, they encountered a significant number of extremely stable carbon molecules containing 60 atoms. They were puzzled by this shape until Dr. Smalley constructed paper models in his kitchen and discovered that the molecules must be arranged like a soccer ball composed of 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons.
This new molecule, the most perfect spherical molecule ever discovered by humans, is called a buckyball. The emergence of this new form of carbon in a world previously only familiar with graphite and diamonds excited chemists and sparked a global race to understand its properties. Buckyballs captivated materials scientists due to their potential for lubrication. Their spherical shape allows them to glide easily over other materials, and they are likely to be used in the manufacturing of containers or for transporting chemicals.
Buckyballs belong to a group of molecules known as fullerenes—spherical molecules made up of pentagonal or hexagonal atom arrangements. Depending on their structure, fullerenes exhibit various new properties related to chemistry, electricity, and strength. Over time, researchers at NEC Corporation in Japan discovered carbon nanotubes in 1991. These nanotubes emerged as a more promising form of fullerene for numerous commercial applications. However, many researchers consider modern nanotechnology to have begun with the discovery of buckyballs. For these discoveries, Drs. Kroto, Curl, and Smalley jointly received the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The term “nanotechnology” derives from the nanometer—one billionth of a meter, which is the size of a small molecule. Since the discovery of buckyballs, researchers have also found that not only carbon but many other materials exhibit strange properties with valuable potential when formed at sizes below 100 nanometers. Dr. Smalley was particularly interested in the potential for carbon nanotubes to one day be woven together with electrical wires, making them lighter, stronger, and more efficient than current materials. He also viewed nanotechnology as key to producing renewable energy sources, such as solar power, to replace fossil fuels.
Minh Sơn (According to New York Times, Reuters, AP)
