What is nanotechnology?
This field of technology modifies the molecular structure of materials to alter their inherent characteristics and produce new ones with ground-breaking uses.
Nanotechnology is the term given to those areas of science and engineering where phenomena that take place at dimensions in the nanometre scale are utilised in the design, characterisation, production and application of materials, structures, devices and systems.
Although in the natural world there are many examples of structures that exist with nanometre dimensions (hereafter referred to as the nanoscale), including essential molecules within the human body and components of foods, and although many technologies have incidentally involved nanoscale structures for many years, it has only been in the last quarter of a century that it has been possible to actively and intentionally modify molecules and structures within this size range. It is this control at the nanometre scale that distinguishes nanotechnology from other areas of technology.
Clearly the various forms of nanotechnology have the potential to make a very significant impact on society.
It is generally believed that organizations and individuals will greatly benefit from the deployment of nanotechnology. Numerous applications involve novel materials that function at the nanoscale, offering drastically different properties.
These materials exhibit new phenomena related to the extremely high surface area to volume ratios experienced at these dimensions, as well as quantum effects not observed at larger sizes. These consist of materials as two-dimensional nanotubes and nanowires for optical and magnetic systems, very thin films for use in electronics and catalysis, and nanoparticles for application in coatings, medications, and cosmetics.
The information and communications industry, which includes the fields of electronics and optoelectronics, food technology, energy technology, and medical products, which includes various aspects of pharmaceuticals and drug delivery systems, diagnostics, and medical technology, are the industries most open to adopting nanotechnology. In these industries, the terms nanomedicine and bio nanotechnology are already widely used. Products utilizing nanotechnology might present further difficulties in the fight against environmental degradation.
Why Is Nanotechnology Important?
Materials, tools, and systems with special qualities and capabilities can be made with the help of nanotechnology. The materials’ minuscule size enables them to display distinct physical and chemical characteristics in comparison to their larger-scale counterparts. Nanomaterials can have higher reactivity, strength, and conductivity because of their enormous surface area-to-volume ratio and compact size.
Nanomaterials can also be easily incorporated into a wide range of products and processes, such as electronic gadgets, medical treatments, energy production, and environmental cleanup, because of their small size. Because of their unique qualities, nanomaterials can also be used to generate new goods and enhance ones that already exist. For example, they can be used to improve the performance of solar cells and batteries, make stronger and more resilient building materials, and create more potent medical treatments.
History of Nanotechnology
One of the most intriguing instances of nanotechnology in antiquity was displayed by the Romans in the fourth century AD, when they employed nanoparticles and structures. One of the greatest accomplishments in the history of the ancient glass industry is the Lycurgus cup, which is housed in the collection of the British Museum. This is the earliest known instance of dichroic glass. Dichroic glass refers to two distinct varieties of glass that exhibit color changes under specific lighting conditions. This indicates that the Cup is actually two colors: green in direct light and reddish-purple in light passing through the glass.
In 1990, the scientists analyzed the cup using a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to explain the phenomenon of dichroism [11]. The observed dichroism (two colors) is due to the presence of nanoparticles with 50–100 nm in diameter. X-ray analysis showed that these nanoparticles are silver-gold (Ag-Au) alloy, with a ratio of Ag:Au of about 7:3, containing in addition about 10% copper (Cu) dispersed in a glass matrix [12,13]. The Au nanoparticles produce a red color as result of light absorption (~520 nm). The red-purple color is due to the absorption by the bigger particles while the green color is attributed to the light scattering by colloidal dispersions of Ag nanoparticles with a size > 40 nm. The Lycurgus cup is recognized as one of the oldest synthetic nanomaterials [1]. A similar effect is seen in late medieval church windows, shining a luminous red and yellow colors due to the fusion of Au and Ag nanoparticles into the glass. Figure 4 shows an example of the effect of these nanoparticles with different sizes to the stained glass windows
Examples of Nanotechnology
There are many examples of nanotechnology used in everyday life. Some of the most common applications include:
Electronics. We use nanomaterials in smartphones, laptops and televisions. Nanomaterials help to improve various properties of these devices such as conductivity, strength and durability.
Cosmetics. Some cosmetics, like foundations and moisturizers, contain nanoparticles that can help to improve the product’s texture and appearance.
Sporting goods. Some sports equipment, such as golf clubs and tennis rackets, contain nanomaterials that can help to improve their performance. For example, nanoclay is added to soccer and tennis balls to increase their life spans.
Clothing. Some clothing, such as outdoor gear and athletic wear, contain nanomaterials that can make them more durable and water-resistant, or even reduce odor.
Sunscreen. Zinc oxide and titanium oxide can be added to sunscreens at the nanoscale, making sunscreens stronger and longer-lasting with limited health risks.
Furniture. Manufacturers create more lightweight yet durable furniture with nanomaterials. Nanomaterials can also increase the endurance of furniture’s colors.
Adhesives. Nanoparticles can strengthen adhesives without sacrificing stickiness, raising the durability of adhesive materials.
Automotive. Automotive manufacturers are experimenting with nanomaterials to make car coats more wear-resistant and enable cars to heal scratches on their own.
Top 6 Nanotechnology Applications
From the effective delivery of drugs to the processing of food to the creation of tiny transistors for use in electrical circuits, nanotechnology has permeated every aspect of life. Applica- tions for nanotechnology have expanded dramatically with the recent development of IoT devices. As to a research published by MarketWatch in October 2022, the worldwide nanotechnology industry was valued at $1.97 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow to $34.3 billion by the near future.
Although nanotechnology has multidisciplinary applications, let’s look at the top six areas where nanotechnologies significantly impact today.
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Nanotechnology Applications
1. Nanomaterials
Advancements in nanotechnology have led to the development of nanomaterials that are used across day-to-day applications, from fabrics, cosmetics, and sportswear, to camera displays and eyewear. With the help of nanotech, material properties can be tweaked to make them durable and stronger, have better electrical & thermal conductivity, and so on. Typically, in the clothing sector, fabrics can be made wrinkle-free and resistant to micro-bacterial growth.
Nanomaterials are also an important component of lithium-ion batteries. For instance, a nanotech firm, Nano One Materials Corp., has joined hands with Johnson Matthey, a sustainable technology company, to develop low-cost nanomaterials that would be specifically used in lithium-ion batteries. Such batteries could find applications in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, or even the energy storage domain.
2. Medicine
In the healthcare sector, nanotech is extensively used while exercising therapy techniques, designing diagnostics, and developing efficient drug delivery systems. For example, Medlab Clinical Limited, a biotech company, has developed NanoCelle, a drug delivery platform that creates nano-sized particles and ingests them directly into a patient’s bloodstream via oral, buccal mucosa (cheek). Recently, Medlab received a New South Wales (NSW) Government grant to develop a nasal vaccine for COVID-19, which will be delivered via this non-invasive NanoCelle platform.
Nanotech is also employed to develop antiviral drugs. For example, NanoViricides is a company that designs nanomaterials specifically used for antiviral therapy. The firm also develops nanomedicines that can fight viral infections, such as the ones observed in influenza, HIV/AIDS, or dengue fever.
3. Food industry
In the food industry, nanotech is applied to intensify food flavor and color while performing food processing steps. It is also vital for food preservation as microbes can significantly reduce the food’s shelf life. Considering the consequences, nanotech-based food packaging solutions are used to maintain the safety and quality of food products.
Also, during the agricultural cultivation process, farmers can now use nanomaterials as this tends to keep a check on pesticide use on crops and yet deliver essential nutrients to them. Thus, from food production, processing, and preservation to packaging, nanotech has become an indispensable part of food science.
4. Electronics sector
The rate of technological advancement has overthrown the well-known Moore’s Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on silicon chips grows 2x each year. Circuits have gotten smaller and smaller at a rapid pace. For instance, in 2015, tech giant IBM revealed that it would use transistors of 7 nm size.
A couple of years later, the organization announced the launch of a 5 nm chip. In 2021, the company disclosed that it had created a 2 nm chip that showed 45% higher performance than the previously designed 7 nm chips.
Similarly, Samsung, a telecom leader, designed a nanotech process that gives tiny chips more power than state-of-the-art chips. In mid-2021, Samsung partnered with Synopsys to advance the 3 nm gate-all-around tech that can benefit AI applications, 5G devices, and high-performance computing applications. In 2022, the semiconductor company ordered mass production of 3 nm chips that consumed 45% less power and 23% enhanced performance over 5 nm chips, such as Apple’s M1 and M2 chips.
5. Energy space
In the energy sector, nanotech is primarily used to develop energy storage solutions and advance oil & gas recovery processes. For instance, PyroGenesis Canada, a tech company, uses plasma-based techniques to help oil & gas companies design sustainable solutions for oil & gas exploration and production. This plasma-based approach is also adopted by several manufacturing industries and 3D printing companies.
Moreover, in the renewable energy area, nanotech is employed to elevate the performance of solar cells. For example, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a national laboratory in the US, developed ‘nanocones’ out of zinc oxide, boosting solar cells’ overall efficiency.
6. Environment
Nanotechnology is pivotal when it comes to developing environmental applications. For instance, the International Institute of Nanotechnology, which promotes nanoscience research in the US, has created a nanocomposite membrane that absorbs and releases water pollutants such as phosphates. The membrane helps control phosphate pollution in rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.
Nanotech is also used in air quality treatment. For instance, Nanomatrix Materials, an Indian firm, has designed AC filters that rely on graphene-silver nanotechnology to keep the indoor air clean while protecting users from airborne viruses. In other words, typical air conditioners are transformed into air purifiers.
Nanomaterials vs. Nanoparticles
Nanomaterials are materials that have at least one dimension that can be measured at the nanoscale. These materials can be manufactured or found in nature. Common examples of nanomaterials include:
Fullerenes: Ultra-thin sheets of graphene — a form of carbon — that are rolled up into spheres or tubes
Nanotubes: A form of carbon that takes on a tube shape and possesses a diameter that can be measured at the nanoscale.
Nanocrystals: A solid material with a highly organized atomic structure that is measurable at the nanoscale.
Dendrimers: Symmetrical molecules that contain branches of repeating groups of atoms and can be measured at the nanoscale.
On the other hand, nanoparticles are isolated solid-state objects that must be measurable at the nanoscale on all three dimensions. These particles are used to create nanomaterials and are considered a category of nanomaterials. Examples of nanoparticles include:
Gold nanoparticles: Clusters of gold atoms measurable at the nanoscale.
Silver nanoparticles: Clusters of silver atoms measurable at the nanoscale.
Quantum dots: Nanocrystals known for having high conductivity.
Polymer nanoparticles: Particles measurable at the nanoscale that contain large macromolecules, which include repeating chains of atoms.
How Is Nanotechnology Made?
There are several methods for creating nanomaterials, including:
Top-down approaches. Starting with a larger piece of material, we can use tools like lithography to carve or etch the material down to the nanoscale. Scientists do this using various techniques such as laser ablation, chemical etching or mechanical milling. This approach is used during the fabrication of integrated circuits in electronics.
Bottom-up approaches. These techniques involve building up materials from smaller components, such as atoms or molecules. This can be done using techniques such as chemical synthesis or self-assembly. One example of an application of nanotechnology where a bottom-up approach is used is the synthesis of nanoparticles.
Self-assembly. This technique involves designing materials or structures in such a way that they spontaneously organize themselves into the desired nanoscale structure. We can do these using techniques such as template-assisted self-assembly or directed self-assembly. We can see self-assembly at work in the production of block copolymers.
Physical vapor deposition. This involves vaporizing a material and then depositing it on the surface of the material to form a thin film, such as in the coating of cutting tools.
Chemical vapor deposition. This involves reacting a gas with a surface to create a thin film of the desired material, which we see in the production of thin films for solar cells.
What Are the Benefits of Nanotechnology?
There are many potential benefits to nanotechnology, including:
Improved materials. Nanomaterials can be stronger, lighter and more durable than traditional materials. These improvements can lead to a wide range of applications in a number of industries including construction, transportation and consumer products.
Increased energy efficiency. We can use nanomaterials to create more efficient batteries and solar cells. These materials can help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Enhanced medical treatments. We can use nanotechnology to create more targeted and effective drugs, as well as diagnostic tools and medical devices.
Improved water filtration and purification. We can use nanomaterials to create more effective filters for removing contaminants from water.
Improved food safety and agriculture. With the help of nanotechnology, we can create sensors for detecting food contaminants, as well as fertilizers and pesticides that are more targeted and less harmful to the environment.
What Are the Risks of Nanotechnology?
There are also potential risks associated with nanotechnology, including:
Health and environmental risks. We don’t yet fully understand the long-term health effects of exposure to nanomaterials. There are concerns that nanotechnology in food, for instance, could be harmful to humans and the environment. The use of nanotechnology in pesticides adds another threat to humans and the environment.
Economic risks. There is potential for nanotechnology to disrupt traditional industries and create economic inequality. A functioning nanocomputer would be hundreds of times more computationally powerful than the most powerful conventional computers. It could give those who have access to the technology a significant advantage in areas such as stock trading, financial modeling and other data-intensive industries. A nanocomputer could also lead to job displacement as certain tasks and industries become automated by the powerful technology.
Ethical risks. There are also ethical concerns surrounding the use of nanotechnology, such as the potential for it to be used for military or surveillance purposes. In the healthcare industry, the introduction of nanotechnology could lead to harmful side effects and raises questions around data privacy as well.
Existential risks. The gray goo scenario depicts a nightmare reality where self-replicating nanotechnology is able to reproduce rapidly, eventually consuming the rest of the planet. While this situation is largely considered to be science fiction, the development of self-replicating nanobots may reignite fears of a nanotechnology takeover.
First, it’s about size.
A nanometer is a unit of length in the metric system.
The prefix “nano” comes from the Greek word for “dwarf” and simply means one billionth. So, while one centimeter (about ½ an inch) is 1/100 of a meter, a nanometer (1 nm) is one-billionth of a meter — or 1/1,000,000,000 of a meter, the size of a single small molecule.
To get an idea of how small this is, atoms which make up all matter, range from 0.1 to 0.5 nanometers in width, and a single strand of a DNA molecule is about 2.5 nanometers wide.
In another example, one nanometer is the length your beard grows between the time you pick up your razor to the time you touch it to your face.
Why is this small scale important?
What scientists discovered in the latter part of the 20th century is that when materials are at the nanoscale (meaning they have at least one dimension [height, length, or depth] that measures between 1-100 nanometers) their physical and chemical properties are different from the same material with macroscale dimensions.
Imagine breaking a piece of gold into smaller and smaller pieces, each piece will still have the same fundamental properties as the original. For example, each piece will still have the same color, melting and boiling points, density, electrical conductivity, and ability to catalyze chemical reactions.
But at the nanoscale, the properties of materials change depending on their size, shape, and composition, in a way that they don’t at any other length scale.
So, the nanoscale is a different kind of small.
It is difficult to predict at what size a particular material’s properties will change, and this threshold is different for each material and each property.
For example, nanoscale gold exhibits different colors throughout the nanoscale size range (green at 50 nanometers, orange at 100 nanometers), but the size-dependent catalytic properties do not dramatically change until gold particles are smaller than 5 nanometers
Are nanoparticles harmful?
Nanoparticles are part of nature; many types are in the air we breathe. Whether they are harmful or not depends upon the chemical composition and can only be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Just like all other chemicals, their properties will vary.
The nanoparticles that are currently used in a number of different consumer products are harmless. Clay nanoparticles have made their way into composite materials for cars and packaging materials, where they offer transparency and increased strength. Sunscreens utilize nanoparticulate zinc oxide, and new anti-aging skin creams are being developed with nanoparticles.
Nanoparticles are also being used in antiseptics, as abrasives, in paints, in new coatings for spectacles (making them scratchproof and unbreakable), for tiles, and in electrochromic or self-cleaning coatings for windows. Nanoparticles are the basis for new anti-graffiti coatings for walls and improved ski waxes and ceramic coatings for solar cells. Glues containing nanoparticles have optical properties that give rise to uses in optoelectronics. Casings containing nanoparticles are being developed that shield against electromagnetic interference.
In the laboratory, researchers working with unknown or new nanoparticles employ laboratory safety measures and systems to minimize risk just as they would when working with any other unknown chemical or substance.
Here are 10 frequently asked questions (FAQs) about nanotechnology
1. What is nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is the manipulation and control of matter at the nanoscale, typically between 1 and 100 nanometers. At this scale, materials often exhibit unique physical, chemical, and biological properties that differ from those of bulk materials.
Reference: National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), What is Nanotechnology.
2. How is nanotechnology used in medicine?
Nanotechnology has significant applications in medicine, including targeted drug delivery, diagnostic imaging, and tissue regeneration. Nanoscale materials are used to deliver drugs more effectively to specific cells, reducing side effects and increasing efficacy.
Reference: Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, “Nanomedicine: Delivering Promises,” (2020).
3. What industries benefit from nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology benefits various industries, including electronics, energy, healthcare, textiles, and agriculture. For example, it is used to develop faster computers, stronger materials, more efficient solar panels, and improved crop protection methods.
Reference: NNI, Industries using Nanotechnology.
4. What are the environmental impacts of nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology can help reduce pollution through better environmental monitoring, water purification, and air filtration systems. However, the long-term effects of nanoparticles on ecosystems and human health are still being studied.
Reference: Environmental Science & Technology, “Nanomaterials in the Environment: Behavior, Fate, Bioavailability, and Effects,” (2015).
5. How is nanotechnology applied in electronics?
Nanotechnology is crucial in developing smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient electronic devices. Nanoscale transistors, memory storage devices, and sensors are some innovations driven by nanotechnology in this field.
Reference: Journal of Nanoparticle Research, “Applications of Nanotechnology in Electronics,” (2018).
6. What are the ethical concerns of nanotechnology?
Ethical concerns regarding nanotechnology include issues of privacy, security, and inequality. There are concerns about the potential misuse of nanotechnology in surveillance and its availability only to privileged sectors of society.
Reference: The Ethics of Nanotechnology: Risk, Responsibility, and Regulation, (2019).
7. Can nanotechnology be used to fight cancer?
Yes, nanotechnology is being developed to create more effective cancer treatments. Nanoparticles can deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to cancer cells, minimizing damage to healthy cells and reducing side effects.
Reference: American Cancer Society, Nanotechnology in Cancer Treatment.
8. What are the risks associated with nanotechnology?
Potential risks include the unknown long-term effects of nanoparticles on human health and the environment. Inhalation of nanoparticles, for instance, may cause respiratory problems. Regulatory frameworks are being developed to address these concerns.
Reference: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Nanotechnology Risks.
9. What is the role of nanotechnology in energy production?
Nanotechnology improves energy efficiency and production, including advancements in solar cells, batteries, and fuel cells. Nanoscale materials increase the surface area for energy reactions, making processes more efficient.
Reference: Advanced Energy Materials, “Nanotechnology in Energy Applications,” (2021).
10. How is nanotechnology regulated?
Nanotechnology regulation varies globally, with different countries implementing specific guidelines for health, safety, and environmental concerns. Regulatory bodies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Union have frameworks for evaluating the safety of nanomaterials.
Reference: U.S. EPA, Nanotechnology Regulatory Guidelines.
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