Nanotechnology and Its Purpose
The US Government’s National Nanotechnology Initiative defines nanotechnology as “the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometres, where unique phenomena enable novel applications.” A nanometre is a millionth of a millimetre - to bring that scale into context, a nanometre is the amount a man's beard grows in the time it takes him to raise the razor to his face.
Nanotechnology refers to a field of applied science and technology whose theme is the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, generally 100 nanometres or smaller, and the fabrication of devices or materials that lie within that size range.
An estimated global research and development investment of nearly $9 billion per year is anticipated to lead to new medical treatments and tools; more efficient energy production, storage and transmission; better access to clean water; more effective pollution reduction and prevention; and stronger, lighter materials.
How does Nanotechnology works?
Atoms and molecules are the fundamental building blocks of the material world – using nanotechnology scientists can start affecting the properties of materials directly, making them harder or lighter or more durable. In some cases, making things smaller changes their properties—a chemical might take on a new colour, or start to conduct electricity when altered at the nanoscale.
Nanotechnology can essentially change the internal structure of compounds. For example, pure carbon can take form of either a diamond or graphite. By arranging carbon into precise nanometre-scale structures, a new product is created that is up to thirty times stronger than steel, yet is one sixth the weight. This form of carbon is called a “nanotube” and is one of the earliest forms of nanotechnology.
There are two main approaches used in nanotechnology: "bottom-up" approach is when materials and devices are built from molecular components which assemble themselves chemically by principles of molecular recognition; in the "top-down" approach, nano-objects are constructed from larger entities without atomic-level control. The advances in analytical tools such as the scanning tunnelling microscope and the atomic force microscope, complemented with processes such as electron beam lithography and molecular beam epitaxy, allow scientists to manipulate nanostructures and observe new phenomena and properties.
How Nanotechnology impacts our lives?
Nanotechnology is used for a wide variety of applications and currently there more than six hundred nanotechnology-enabled consumer products on the market. Carbon nanotubes are used to make bicycle and tennis rackets frames making them lighter and stronger.
The small size ranging from 0.1 to 10 micrometres of nanobots make it difficult to be constructed. The process of working atom by atom and molecule by molecule is monotonous work and the miniaturization of synthetic mechanisms to a nanoscale will only be achievable with the advancement of research in metallurgy.
Amandi Hiyare: Before forming my research question, I had a discussion with my research project coordinator “Lisa Pope” who told me that the Flinders nanotechnology research team has been developing microbial catheters. Then on Monday I had an interview with Professor Joe Shapter who told me that your team was leading this project. So I was wondering whether you would be able to provide me with some detailed information about this innovation?
Lovgren, Stefan. Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier t Understand? 23 December 2003. Web. 3 May 2014. .
The main target of this research are two main groups, the spectators and the athletes. These are two important stakeholders being affected by decisions related to nanotechnology’s use in sports. The fans and spectators of sports were reached through an online survey. By posting the survey on multiple websites and forums I was able to reach out to different people in different countries and get a representative opinion about the given issue. The athletes on the other hand were approached through a focus group and one-on-one interviews. The opinion of these two groups is important to address the gap mentioned above since an agreement must be reached to what extent nanotechnology should be allowed or not. Moreover, this research will focus on Egyptian athletes and fans because Egypt is a developing country and one of the aims of this research is to try to see if developing countries will be able to benefit from nanotechnology in sports rather than developed countries.
It concerns all specialties of medecine, from pathology and oncology to cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.Currently, nanomedicine applications have been approved and are currently used for diagnostic procedures, body and organ imaging, surgical tools, drug delivery systems and gene therapies. [5,6]
Carbon Nanotubes could make t-shirts bulletproof. Retrieved March 11, 2014, from Nano Werk: http://nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotids1054.php. Fecht, S. (n.d.). Lighter, stronger bulletproof clothing. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from Popular Mechanics: http://popularmechanics.com/science/health/med-tech/6spidersilksuperpowers.htm.
Nanotechnology is the manipulation of structures at nano levels. It uses incredibly small materials, devices, and systems to manipulate matter. These structures are measured in nanometers, or one billionth of a meter, and can be used by themselves or as part of larg...
First things first, what exactly are nanotechnology and biotechnology? There has been some less than mild discussion of late about what constitutes legitimate nanotechnology, and suffice it to say that it doesn’t include things like laundry detergents, chemical additives, makeup micro-beads or anything of the like that may be claimed by some companies that are looking for an advantage over their competitors. Also, neither of these growing scientific disciplines includes any of the many terrifying, often alien technologies that swarm and smother, seek and destroy, or otherwise attempt to eradicate the human race from the face of the earth, ad nauseam. Here is a concise definition from The American Heritage Science Dictionary: “Nanotechnology is the science and technology of precisely manipulating the structure of matter at the molecular level. The term nanotechnology embraces many different fields and specialties, including engineering, chemistry, electronics, and medicine, among others, but all are concerned with bringing existing te...
Firstly, technology is constantly becoming more efficient. Eventually sustainable design will become the obvious practical financial choice for businesses. Secondly, the general public now better understands the consequences of climate change, so more governing bodies are committing to renewable energy sources. We must eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels, and I believe materials science will provide the
As a group we have learned that nanobots are so tiny that 5,000 of nanobots can go around a piece of hair, and that it will be the next generation of nanomachines. A progressed nanobots will have the capacity to sense and adjust to environmental stimuli, for example, heat, light, sounds, surface compositions, and chemicals; perform complex figurines; move, convey, and cooperate; conduct subatomic to get together; and, to some degree, repair or even reproduce themselves.
Science that deals with study of materials or any particles that is so small and measured in nanometer scale is called “Nanoscience”. Study about very small particles and its chemical and physical changes at nanoscale is not an easy business. Nanotechnology studies the big picture of those small particles, manipulates them to advance new devices and materials. The name “nanotechnology” was created in year 1974 (). But the concept of manipulating Nano particles has been around for centuries mainly in crafting examples are 4th century Lycurgus cup, 13th-18th centuries Damascus saber blades and etc (). Introduction of nanotechnology was to attain multiple benefits to society in many areas like energy production and conservation, pollution clean-up and medicine (). The danger that tags along with this benefiting science does need to be understood before their usage becomes prevalent. Environmental scientists who are concerned about health of organisms and hazard to environment are researching and accessing about toxicity, distribution and fate of the nanoparticles that is released into the environment.
The food industry has been using nanotechnology for a little over a decade now to change the way we grow and maintain our food. Nanotechnology uses in food has many advantages – it can give the producers the power to control how food looks, tastes and even how long it lasts. Listed below are the top ten uses of nanotechnology in foods:
However, despite the long-term economic growth, technological progress is very important, and even if we...
Undoubtedly, contemporary global problems find their roots in the consequences of scientific and technological progress. The most important of these problems are the threat of global nuclear war, ecological imbalance, unsustainable population growth, and a growing developmental ...
Choi, J-Y, Lee J-H, & Sohn S-Y 2009, 'Impact analysis for national R&D funding in science and technology using quantification method II ', Research Policy, vol. 38, no. 10, pp. 1534-1544.