Nanotechnology in the Automotive Industry

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ABSTRACT

This report was commissioned to investigate the current and future trends of nanotechnology in the automotive industry. Furthermore, its purpose is to ascertain whether it is necessary, and how it could be achieved for students undertaking a BSc (Nanotechnology) at Curtin University to be equipped to work in the automotive industry. To investigate this issue a wide and varied multimedia research task was undertaken to fully identify all the factors involved. A report was then compiled detailing the findings and the recommendations that arose from the research. The results indicate that there is a fast growing trend of nanotechnology in the automotive industry, that has started already and is moving rapidly. By 2010 nanotechnology will represent a significant portion of the industry, and will be vitally important to everyone involved, especially the large automotive companies.

There are many exciting job prospects in this highly profitable field for experts in nanotechnology, therefore it is recommended that the BSc (Nanotechnology) offered at Curtin University be adapted to include two new units. The first will be run in first year in collaboration with the Curtin Business School, and will offer students a chance to learn about the business side of the automotive industry. They will learn how to manage companies, and fit in with large ones, in a business sense. The second unit will be offered in third year, when students have a solid foundation of physics, chemistry and nanotechnology. It will be a unit shared with the appropriate engineering degrees and taught by the engineering staff. The unit will give students a thorough understanding of conventional engines and car production procedures. They will then have a good idea of how to adapt their vast knowledge of nanotechnology to the process. The writer would like to thank Dr Drexler for giving up his precious time to answer our questions and Dr Abbs for providing a good base of support and help.

1 Introduction
1.1
Nanotechnology today is a very broad and varied field. It has ramifications across all many industrials areas, including the automotive industry. As the field develops and the technology advances, the applications in conventional areas will broaden. Therefore, it is essential that those studying nanotechnology today be properly equipped to affect, and adapt to, these changes. The term ‘nanotechnology’ is not clearly defined. There are many different definitions, and meanings. However, it is often described as either, future nanosystems, including nano assemblers and robots, or as a broad term meaning any current technology which deals with small systems.

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