Self-replication fabrication

With their work, Joyce et al. are bridging the gap between enzymatic RNA replication as envisaged by Szostak and the construction of replicating systems based on simple molecules. Using biology as a blueprint, chemists have started to explore molecular self-replication to establish the minimal requirements for translating the principles into synthetic systems and to elucidate whether relatively simple chemical structures are able to mimic the ability of nucleic acids to store and transmit information on a molecular level. " Additionally, the concept of making exact copies of a chemical entity in a nonlinear manner could have a sig-uificaut impact on the fabrication of molecular architectures... 

Eliminate the requirement that the SSR fabricate the most technically demanding parts, components, and assemblies (e.g., computer boards, microprocessors, semiconductor chips, memories, etc.). These high-technology parts/-components (referred to as vitamins in the self-replication literature) will be supplied and carefully labeled from the environment through the input gateways. 

As is evident, the three closure rules which must be satisfied by a true self-replicator— energy closure, material closure, and the information closure—place an extraordinary burden onto the design and implementation of self-replicating objects. The SSR must be able to produce and distribute energy, ingest raw materials to fabricate parts, and contain a complete technical description of itself, its processes, and its assembly instructions. Additionally, the environment for the SSR must also be considered, and perhaps specially designed, in order to make available all of the necessary raw materials for self-replication. 

Fabrication is the construction of things on the atomic or near-atomic level. Self-assembly relies on chemical processes or other natural forces to automate the construction of atomic structures, similar to the replication of DNA in the human body. 

The most widely applicable approach splits the fabrication of nanopatterned functional materials into two successive steps, namely the self-assembly driven formation of mesoporous templates and the replication of the templates with functional materials, as illustrated in Fig. 1.3. This strategy to nanostructured functional materials has the major advantage that it allows for the independent optimization of the template preparation. Since the same template can be used to structure various functional materials applying different replication techniques, such as sol-gel, atomic layer deposition (ALD), electrochemical deposition, and electroless plating, it is considered as an extremely versatile approach [14-17]. 

There are methods to strategically arrange molecules on a surface. One of the earliest developed method to manipulate molecules on a surface is by the use of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) [48], Other methods include several variants of controlled self-assembly monolayers [49] and the use of replicative molecules, such as DNA, to fabricate and locate molecules such as amino acids on a surface [50]. These techniques are still being developed and will hopefully provide new ways to utilize molecules as electronic devices. 

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