Nanotechnology

Introduction to Nanotechnology

The Basics

Weighing in on Scale

Nanotechnology is the science of the extremely tiny. According to the US Government’s National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) “nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications.” Nanotechnology is unbelievably miniscule. It is so small that even the most powerful conventional microscopes cannot see it. To put things in perspective, if the world were scaled down so that people averaged 100 nanometers tall, the Moon would be about 8 inches (20.5 cm) across—about the size of a basketball or a soccer ball. The Earth would be roughly 30 inches (76 cm) in diameter, or just small enough to squeak through a doorway.•

So what?

The nanoscale is the scale of atoms and molecules, the fundamental building blocks of the material world. At the nanoscale, scientists can start affecting the properties of materials directly, making them harder or lighter or more durable. In some cases, simply making things smaller changes their properties—a chemical might take on a new color, or start to conduct electricity when re-fashioned at the nanoscale. Nanoscale particles tend to be more chemically reactive than their ordinary-sized counterparts because they have more surface area.

In other cases, nanotechnology is about not only shrinking, but fundamentally changing the internal structure of compounds. Pure carbon, for example, takes two familiar forms: diamond and graphite (pencil lead). But by arranging carbon into precise nanometer-scale structures, a new product can be made that is up to thirty times stronger than steel, yet is one sixth the weight. This form of carbon (called a “nanotube,” or, more accurately, “nanotubes”) is one of the earliest forms of nanotechnology.

This sort of nanotechnology is currently being used for a wide variety of applications, and more than six hundred nanotechnology-enabled consumer products are on the market. Carbon nanotubes are used to make bicycle frames and tennis rackets lighter and stronger. Nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are used in many sunscreens, to block UV radiation more effectively without making your skin look pasty white. New tupperware features nanoscale silver that are antimicrobial, to prevent food stored in them from going bad. Clothes are treated with nano-engineered coatings that make them stain-proof or static-free. And computer chips using nanoscale components are ubiquitous in consumer electronics, from computers to mp3 players, digital cameras to video game consoles—“Moore’s Law,” which states that processors double in computing power every two years, is now driven by the relentless miniaturization of computer components deep into the nanoscale.

Thus far, nanotechnology remains a science in its infancy. Its potential goes far beyond these products: it will affect virtually all of the devices and materials we deal with in everyday life, from consumer products to food to medicine. Novel nanostructures could serve as new kinds of drugs for treating common conditions such as cancer, Parkinson’s, and cardiovascular disease, or as artificial tissues for replacing diseased kidneys and livers. Dangerous side effects of current treatments (like chemotherapy) may be engineered away. Nano-engineered solar panels could produce many times more energy than current types, while being lighter and more durable. Nanotech batteries last longer and are lighter and more powerful than their current counterparts. Foods could be engineered to improve nutritional value, tasted, or shelf life.

Dollars and Sense

In 2007, $60 billion worth of nano-enabled products were sold, and this figure is predicted to rise to $150 billion by 2008. Nanotechnology will also produce employment opportunities, with an anticipated 7 million jobs generated globally by nanotechnology in the next decade.