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http://kuleed.googlepages.com...Free essaysNanotechnologyNANO and the unbound future from the Inconceivably SMALLAbstract:There’s a lot of buzz—nanotechnology is “coming soon.” But what is nanotechnology?Why doesn’t anyone ever explain that? Well, it’s not that easy. While expertsagree about the size of nanotechnology—that it’s smaller than a nanometer (that’sone billionth of a meter) they disagree about what should be called nanotechnologyand what should not. Looking back at the historical roots of nanotechnology helpsus get a better grasp on what nanotechnology is and why it’s important now, andhow it will change the world in the future. Dealing with things smaller than 100nanometers (for comparison, a human hair is 80 000 nm wide), nanotechnologies arepoised to provide fantastically light and Strong materials and revolutionizemedicine. They are the future, say the nano-enthusiasts. Essentially, anythingsufficiently small and interesting can be called Nanotechnology. Much of it isharmless. For the rest, much of the harm is of familiar and limited quality. Themost immediate challenge in nanotechnology is that we need to learn more aboutmaterials and their properties at the nanoscale. Universities and corporationsacross the world are rigorously studying how atoms fit together to form largerstructures. We're still learning about how quantum mechanics impact substances atthe nanoscale.Small Is Beautiful: NanoTechnology, Fast Becoming the Next ‘Big thing’.The term nanotechnology is an umbrella term that encompasses a vast range oftechnologies across a number of disciplines and as a result can be a handicap toany discussion about social and environmental implications that may be specific toparticular applications.There’s a quiet revolution going on, and its name is nanotechnology. Without muchfanfare, a host of innovations are coming our way. Some seem almost magical, likethe new material created in 2004 by Ray Baughman, a professor at the University ofTexas and his team. It’s stronger than steel, transparent and very, very light.The hectare size sheet would weigh just 280 grams.When the professor announced that he hadn’t decided what to call it, he says, “Istarted getting emails from around the world suggesting names. Since it was solight and strong, people started calling it mithril”-the name of the highly pricedtype of armour used in The Lord of Rings.There are other discoveries, too -perhaps not as astounding, but practical andwelcome. Now there are socks that don’t get smelly, pants that resist stains,windows that repeal grime, toilets that clean themselves, tennis balls that keeptheir bounce and golf balls that correct their own flight path. All this resultsfrom exploring the world of the very, very small.Nano comes from the Greek word for Dwarf. Usually nanotechnology is defined as astudy and manipulation of matter smaller than 100 nm – that’s the scale of thingslike molecules and viruses. Ten hydrogen atoms nestled against each other adjustone nanometer long. And one million nanometers fit into a millimeter. Hard tograsp? Think of it this way; for if a person was a nanometer wide then 13 millionof them, standing shoulder to shoulder would fit on your thumbnail.[pic]NanoTechnology: What’s that?Nanotechnology is literally the development of materials anddevices that are only up to 100 nanometers (billionths of a meter). This size mustbe achieved in at least one of the three dimensions of the material to betechnically considered nanotechnology. Now the idea of nanotechnology is not assimple as shrinking modern day devices to some required small size. When materialsare brought to such a small size, the dynamics of the system are drastically
 
altered. Therefore nanotechnology is unique not solely because of the decreaseddimensions of the materials, but also because of unique properties that result.“Nano” is a Greek word meaning “dwarf” and in the metric system means “one-billionth”. So one “nm” is one-billionth of a meter. For a comparison, the humanhair is 75,000nm-100,000 nm across and the length of a “fly” is one-million nm. Ifwe could line-up 10 Hydrogen atoms end-to-end, the total length will be 1 nm.Nanotechnology is a broad term that covers different areas of research dealingwith objects measuring between .1nm to 100 nmRenowned physicist Richard Feynman introduced the basic idea for nanotechnology ina 1959 speech called “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom.” Feynman predictedthat tiny assembly machines made from a few molecules of matter could be built,and that these assemblers would be used to make other microscopic products. Theresult would be a system of production that would revolutionize the way things aremadeFather of NanoTechnology:[pic] K. Eric Drexler is a scientist, policy advocate, and futurist who helpedestablish nanotechnology as a legitimate field of scientific and technicalresearch. Drexler was born on 25 April 1955 in Oakland, California. A talentedstudent, he enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the 1970swhere he became interested in topics such as space exploration and cryogenics. Itwas during this time that Drexler also realized that it might be possible toimitate the functions of enzymes and ribosomes with tiny, molecule-sized machines.Theoretically, by building tiny machines that could then build other tinymachines, scientists might be able to construct any type of material, in anyquantity. As Wired magazine noted, “giving humankind that ability became Drexler’scrusade” and he has pursued this goal ever since.The Potential of Nanotechnology: Applications of NanotechnologyIn Skin Treatment
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Nanotechnology is already in use as sunscreen and sunburn protection creams.Nanoparticles spread on the face can block out harmful ultra-violet (UV) radiationand hence prevent tanning or skin cancer. The nanoparticles, that are invisibleafter being applied since they are too small to scatter light, have enabledeffective skin treatments without compromising on looks. Formulations such asthese mainly include zinc and titanium oxide compounds that are effectively UVabsorbentCosmetics
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Nano-titanium dioxide and zinc oxide can absorb and reflect UV light, whilealso being transparent to visible light. They are already used in sunscreens. Thecosmetics industry has invested heavily in nanotechnology. New products areclaimed to penetrate deeper into the skin or to have other benefits. For example,cosmetics that slowly release vitamins are in development. Nanoparticles oftitanium dioxide are being used to create transparent sunscreens.Stain-free pants
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One of Ford's favourite nano-creations is a pair of cotton trousersthat don't stain when water-based substances, like coffee, are spilt on them. "Ifyou're out in a restaurant, and spill the wine over your trousers, [the wine] justruns off. You can wipe it off and it doesn't stain," said Ford. The stain-freepants work because the cotton fibres that are used to make them are changed at ananoscale level. [pic] "So now, they don't soak up water in the way that theynormally do. Anything that's water-based simply runs off them," said Ford. A pairof nanopants, long-lasting lipstick or self-cleaning windows won't change theworld.Military applications
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New classes of nanopolymers are being developed that can be sprayed onto a soldier, to form a suit without seams. The fabric is planned to containembedded enzymes that detect and break down chemical and biological warfare
 
agents, various biosensors to monitor a soldier’s health, and nanosized siliconcarbide particles for physical protection. [pic] The nano-battlesuit is beingdeveloped at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Institute for SoldierNanotechnologies.Carbon nanotubes
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The discovery of carbon nanotubes in 1991 opened up a new era in materialsscience. These incredible molecules have an array of fascinating electronic,magnetic and mechanical properties. They are at least 100 times stronger thansteel, but only one-sixth as heavy – so nanotube fibres could strengthen justabout any material. [pic] Also, nanotubes can conduct heat and electricity farbetter than copper, and are already being used in polymers to control or enhanceconductivity, and in antistatic packaging.Nanoparticles
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The term nanoparticles covers a diverse range of chemical and other entities.They can be metallic, mineral, polymer-based or a combination of materials.[pic]They have multiple uses: as catalysts, drug delivery mechanisms, dyes,sunscreens, filters and much more.Nanowires
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Nanowires are extremely narrow threads (less than 50 nm wide). They havepotential to be used in nanoscale electrical devices. [pic]The vision is ofelectronic chips so small and cheap that they could be used in almost any way. Inbiology, they could form the heart of extremely sensitive biosensors, identifyingmolecules associated with disease or the binding of chemicals to a drug target.Self-assembled nanostructures
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If nature can be persuaded to build structures, manufacturing becomes mucheasier. Fortunately, self-assembly is widespread in nature (think crystal growthor blood clotting). Many very clever routes are taking advantage of self-assembly.This includes use of chemical monomers that naturally polymerise, creating apolymer mesh whose properties can be modified by tweaking the original monomer.Nanobots:Fact or Fantasy
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Nanobots were the vision of researcher Eric Drexler. He envisaged tiny robots(hence the term ‘nanobots’) that could make nanomaterials, atom by atom. Thenanobots would replicate themselves by taking raw materials, plucking out theatoms they needed one by one, then assembling a new copy of themselves. Are theyreally dangerous? [pic]He thought so. In his Engines of Creation (1986), which introducednanotechnology to the public, Drexler suggested that if a few nanobots were tomultiply out of control, they could form a swarm of tiny, precisely engineered yetlethal machines that together pull apart every living thing in their path, atom byatom. He imagined that this rampaging swarm might look like ‘grey goo’. Accordingto one estimate, it would take replicating nanobots just three or four hours totransform all living things on Earth to grey goo. In April 2003, the grey gooscenario apparently prompted Prince Charles to enter the nano-debate. He called ameeting of leading scientists to discuss nanotechnology. A closer look Nanobotsare nanofiction – and likely to remain so for decades to come. Drexler himself hasdisowned the grey goo scenario, and Prince Charles has acknowledged it is not anissue. The practical challenges would be immense, and there seems little need forself-replication anyway. Even physics is against the idea. Nanosubs, inside bloodvessels, would be smashed to bits in the nanoworld . We also tend to think about‘manufacturing’ in terms of production lines, but these are not easy to apply atthe nanoscale. Many nano-engineers argue that we should be looking to chemistryand biology for inspiration, taking advantage of Brownian motion, the ‘stickiness’
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