When you hear the name “nanotechnology” what comes to your mind? Iron man’s helmet? Is, The movie Big Hero Six? or Antman’s quantum realm? Or something sci-fi? Nanotechnology is an advanced branch of science, so advanced even one might think it is science fiction. The word Nano originated from the Greek word Nanos, which stands for dwarves. Hence something small. It’s smaller than the wavelength of light that represent the visible spectrum. In the past computers were huge and computers such as ENIAC weighed almost 30 tons, even though they had lower computing powers. Now some computers are created to fit inside our pockets. Because of that in the world of technology, it is usually considered “Smaller the Better”.
What is Nanotechnology? That’s a question that is quite difficult to answer. Because Nanotechnology is a broad branch of technology. In nanotechnology, mostly dimensions and tolerances, within 1-100 nm are considered. It is applied in all fields of science including Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Engineering, etc. Even though physicist Richard Feynman is known as the father of nanotechnology Professor Norio Taniguchi invented the term nanotechnology in 1974. With the invention of STM and AFM microscopes, the age of nanotechnology was born.
All the things in the world are made out of atoms that surround us. How they behave is dependent on how they’re put together, and how they’re arranged. A body can’t just function if it has a heart, a liver, or kidneys. They should be connected accordingly, just as in a car It’s not just a case of having four wheels, an engine, and a steering wheel. They all have to be in the right place if you want a car that gets you to where you’re going. In Feynman’s talk “There’s plenty of room at the bottom”, he talked about the possibility of synthesis on the basis of atom manipulation. With the manipulation of atoms, new forms of material could be formed. This was a huge breakthrough in modern science. Unusual properties can emerge in materials at the nanoscale. Properties of bulk material can differ from these properties. Properties of nanomaterials can change due to the surface area or quantum size effects.
Nanotechnology has answered a lot of questions in the field of science. Even in the field of medicine nanomedicine is used to eliminate cancer cells, increase the efficiency in drug delivery, diagnosis, and many more. Other than nanomaterials created by humans, there are natural nanomaterials out there too. And some inventions are inspired by these natural nanomaterials. Have you ever experienced going outside, and it rains and you are soaking wet for the whole day. Well, nanotechnology has found new ways to cope with that. A new class of water hydrophobic nanomaterials was introduced to the textile industry. This was inspired by the surface of the Lotus leaf. Professor Andrew Barron once said, “Nature knows how to make these materials and stay environmentally friendly. Our job has been to figure out how and why, and to emulate that.”. Also reinforcing polymers with nanoclays resulted in strong and resistant polymers. In the past bulky telephones were used to communicate, the size of today’s smartphones would be impossible to create without nanotechnology and microelectromechanical systems.
Carbon is one of the most important and abundant elements in the world. It has certain Allotropes such as graphite, diamond, fullerene, and CNT (carbon nanotubes). However, out of those CNT stands out because of its properties. CNT have higher hardness, and higher tensile strength, and they are considered good heat and electrical conductors. Because of that CNTs are used in a wide range of industries such as textile, construction, steel making, agriculture, and polymer industries. Therefore the introduction of carbon nanotubes is considered a major breakthrough in nanotechnology.
As you can see nanotechnology can be implemented from the bus you’re traveling to the tiniest processor in your smartphone. This branch of science is quite new and there are lots of areas to be discovered, these can be either both good or bad. However, nanotechnology is considered beneficial overall. But there are signs of disadvantages of nanotechnology too. Some nanoparticles have been identified as health hazards causing issues in the lungs. These particles have the ability to enter the body through the respiratory system, digestive system as well as skin. In the wrong hands, these can be used to disrupt the economy, and cause security and privacy issues,some pose as threats to the environment too. Like any branch of science, we should use nanotechnology for the betterment of the world.
By Rtr. Ruchila Wijerathne
References :
- https://www-2018.swansea.ac.uk/press-office/news-archive/2015/lotusleafinspiresnewwaterproofingmaterial.php
- https://www.nanowerk.com/what-are-nanomaterials.php
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Beautifully written Ruchila! 🤩❤
Keep up the good work!
Nicely written Ruchila 🙂👍🏻