Technology Imitates Nature

Nitrogen fixahon by enzymes transforms atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia and urea. Would it not be possible to imitate this by finding a catalyst for transforming nitrogen to ammonia And with moderate energy costs. This was in fact a challenge for a real enthusiast within physical chemistry  

Fritz Haber (1868-1934) was a professor at the University of Technology in Karlsruhe in Germany. In 1908 he began to study the reaction 

The development of the Haber-Bosch process was one of the most challenging engineering efforts ever, and is considered to be one of the greatest achievements in the field of technology. It rendered the increased production of foodstuffs possible for an ever-increasing population. As a bonus , the technology also allowed the mass production of explosives, not only for building work but also for war. 

In 1933 Haber was ordered to discharge all Jewish workers at the Institute, but was offered to stay on as manager, although he himself was of Jewish descent He refused, gave up his position and moved to England. He was employed at the Cavendish Laboratory but died in 1934. The Kaiser-Wilhelm Institut fiir PhysikaHsche Chemie nowadays bears the name Fritz-Haher-Institut. 

Haber was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1918, and Carl Bosch in 1931. 

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The reaction of photosynthesis is as follows Biological applications are based primarily on the use of C02 as food for plant growth. In a similar way as the plants take advantage of sunlight and C02 for biomass, or other products, imitating nature, improving its results. Therefore, this technology is also known as biomimetic transformation. 

Much of our technology has been developed by observing and imitating the natural world. Synthetic polymers, such as those you just encountered, were developed by imitating natural polymers. For example, the natural polymer cellulose provides most of the structure of plants. Wood, paper, cotton, and flax, are all composed of cellulose fibres. Figure 2.15 shows part of a cellulose polymer. 

This distinction, of course, harkens back to earlier debates about human technology and whether it was possible to imitate nature. Newman, Promethean Ambitions. 

Applicability of materials is traditionally based on working up their starting ( as cast ) mass to shape a final and refined structure. Today s science, however, tends to imitate natural processing as closely as possible and, in this way, wastes less by positioning definite parts to appropriate places. This ability forms the basis for the development of so-called nano-technologies . It has long been a dream of scientists to construct microscopic machines, such as motors, valves or sensors on the molecular scale. They could he implanted into larger... 

Since the discovery of natural silk, technology has sought to imitate nature whilst also attempting to produce artificial and synthetic materials with properties similar to those of the natural textile. The exceptional mechanical and handling characteristics of natural silk have remained the reference points in this field. The synthetic fibre invented and patented in 1884 by Bernigaud de Chardonnet, often called artificial silk is considered to be the first significant result in the development of man-made fibres. Development... 

A sensible approach to innovation in microbial fouling control technology can be simply stated Observe nature. Try to understand it. Try to imitate it. Explain the copy. There is much more to learn about natural microbial fouling control. Surely, there are many important clues still to be discovered. 

The technologies to imitate the silk woven and knitted fabrics have not been limited not only to merely match the hands, but to draw out broader characteristics, and then independently stepped forward. As a result of it, the textile materials able to express beauties of silhouettes for feminines, have been created, and they are presumably well known as the fabrics beyond genuine natural materials. 

The professor has demonstrated in his research that the most important natural products consist of particles (molecules) of unusual size and that they are composed of numerous (often millions) of atoms. The model for the technology to imitate and even reproduce these natural products was available as a result. [41]... 

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