NanoSense – how Nanotechnology is improving our everyday lives – part 1

NanoSense – how Nanotechnology is improving our everyday lives – part 1

We are all now on a Fantastic Voyage

Do you remember ‘Fantastic Voyage’ – the sci-fi film in which scientists shrank a submarine and crew, injected them into a dying man , and saved him from certain death before being resized for more adventures?

Scripted by Harry Kleiner in 1966 and novelized for Bantam paperbacks 6 months later by Isaac Asimov, it spawned an animated TV series as well as a Salvador Dali painting.  Now, some 40 years later, it is seeing practical application in space and cancer medicine, as well as arguably more prosaic areas like materials science.   

Today it is called ‘Nanotechnology’ and in this series of brief articles we’ll be exploring how it is beginning to influence the world around us.  It begins by linking medical and building science.

Nanontechnology in a Nutshell

The science of Nanotechnology deals with very, very small structures, usually less than 100 nanometers in diameter.  With 1 nanometer being 1 billionth of a meter, you’ll get some idea of how small this is by imagining the earth as having a diameter of 1 meter with 1 billion apple pips (seeds) inside it.  Or, looked at another way, the dimension ratio between a meter and a nanometer is the same as between earth and an apple.  

For the mathematical purists among you 1nm = 10 -09 m, i.e. 1/1,000,000,000

Einstein might have imagined this by building a train wagon in his mind, giving this a length, width and height of 1nm and then fitting this inside a few hundreds of hydrogen molecules.

For scientists and technologists this has special interest because at this size materials reveal unique properties when compared not only with ordinary bulk sized materials, but also their molecules. In essence they take advantages of properties that neither individual molecules nor molecular structures exhibit.

For example, if we could see it a gold nanoparticle deposited on a surface would appear purple, rather than shiny and ‘golden’ that we presently recognize.

Again, if you can imagine a molecule as having a very small atom at it’s core with many electrons spinning around this, all held together by the power of attraction, then you’ll get some idea of the scale of things they are working with.

Another example of particular interest to scientists and technologists currently working, or considering working  in this area is that of Titanium Dioxide (titania).  This is used in paints to give that extremely white, opaque finish.  But nanonised titania is completely transparent.    


Nanomedicine

Drug discovery, drug delivery and continuing miniaturization are three areas in which medicine has joined our Fantastic Voyage. Long-term, in-vivo diagnostics and more targeted therapy without side effects are on the horizon. Being able to look for drug targets on a cellular rather than multi-cellular, or tissue basis can be much more precise. Biosensors and molecule probes allow cellular processes to be examined and drug development aimed at molecular targets.

Latest treatment techniques already allow a drug to be put inside a nanoparticle, like a carbon or silicon nanotube.  This might also hold antibodies to bind the drug, enabling smaller doses to be delivered direct to the targeted tissue. Various nanoparticle drug formulations are already being investigated in animal models and early stage clinical studies in humans.

Treating Cancer & Diabetes

Using such nanobots, i.e. vehicles for carrying treatments, radioactive generators are already being injected.  Going direct to the infected tissue these give small radiation doses to treat the cancer without all the unpleasant side effects of radiation therapy. 

Nanotechnology- its role in electronics and its effects

Nanotechnology- its role in electronics and its effects

Summary: Nano as it implies small particles or atoms which is the building blocks of all materials is a 20th century shoot up technology is the centre for design & manufacturing of almost all products. 

Techs24x7.com“>What is Nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is the science of molecular scale which refers to the projected ability to manufacture highly performed products. In general it deals with very small structures or atoms. It is scaled by the nanometer scale and one nanometer is one billionth of a meter which is very small to see but very powerful to produce very high end products.

 Role of Nanotechnology in electronics

Role of nanotechnology in electronics is to improve the capability of electronic products. The technology also made the devices very light making the product easy to carry or move and at the same time it has reduced the power requirement. Ever since the use of nanotechnology have implemented in the process of manufacturing electronic products it has brought a revolution in this industry particularly in telecommunications & information technology. Following subjects can give a broader idea about its major role in details: 

Change of display screens: Techs24x7.com“>LCD and its improved versions are example. The quality of display screens has improved a lot while its size became very thick, decreased weight and reduced power consumption.
Memory Chips: Nanotechnology has made size of memory chip very small but storage capacity upto 1 terabyte per square inch.
Power transistors: It has been reduced like a circuit where all the power can be stored. 

Merits of Nanotechnology 

It stimulates mass production
Produces energy at very cheaper cost
Keeps pollution under control.
Saves water-as it consumes very less water for production support.

New technology bringing a lot of job opportunities.

Demerits of Nanotechnology

 Cause of destruction of society- as it helps making destructive weapons

Can enter into the brains blood stream causing harmful diseases as the particles are very small
Threat to traditional workers of loosing the job-hence can widen economic differences.

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Is Nanotechnology Totally Useless According to You?

Is Nanotechnology Totally Useless According to You?

Nanotechnology is the science and art of constructing functional and sometimes powerful devices by manipulating single atoms until they are molecularly sized. In order to achieve some relativity on this, one must be aware that a molecule is measured in nanometers, which is, essentially, one billionth of a meter – an atom is ten times smaller than that.

As a revolutionary concept, nanotechnology covers a wide spectrum that can often be a double edged sword. In the right hands, the extreme capability of nanotechnology can be a positive contributor to medical advancements, environmental cleansing, energy conservation and many other areas that can largely improve human existence on our planet. The down side to nanotechnology is that in the wrong hands it can be a destructive force that may ultimately lead to the annihilation of human existence and even of our planet.

There are varying schools of thought on the benefits versus the threats of nanotechnology pursuits. One outlook is that replicating nanostructures could gobble up the entire planet in about three hours flat while another is that nanotechnology as a science could revolutionize medical treatments for conditions that are presently incurable using standard technology.

Nanotechnology has been credited with many beneficial improvements to existing products like fabrics that totally resist staining, scratch resistant eyewear and sunscreen that can endure greater exposure to the elements for longer periods of time. In addition, creating smaller, more powerful devices via this technology has been a positive contributor to revolutionary advancements in computers, more improved diagnostic medical testing and more efficient means of removing toxicity from areas afflicted with environment contamination. Anyone would have to agree that these advantages are certainly not totally useless attributes of nanotechnology.

Additionally, nanotechnology has been credited with creations from a biodegradable plastic made from waste products produced from fruit growing operations to experimental replacement bone tissue that will not be so easily rejected by the human body after transplant. The advantage of such a product will result in easing human suffering while actually contributing to an extended life span. Anybody wanting to improve on humanity would be hard pressed to declare breakthroughs like this as totally useless.

Despite its propensity to do good, nanotechnology could also lead to the creation of more compact and essentially more dangerous weaponry, which, if it fell into the wrong hands could lead to the development of chemical and biological weapons that are far more deadly, harder to avoid and much easier to conceal than conventional warfare.

Naysayers are quick to point out additional negativities of nanotechnology such as the ability of the military or other covert government organizations to conduct continuous, surreptitious surveillance on each and every citizen. Some go even further by concentrating on the hypothesis that nanotechnology, when used to advance greed and power, could result in total physical and/or psychiatric control of one faction over another.

Will nanotechnology ultimately result in ecophaghy – the consumption of the entire worldwide ecosphere – or will all these doomsday predilections just be totally useless fodder for overactive imaginations?

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