GEC 17 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY

FIRST SEMESTER, 2022-2023

Chapter 11
Nanotechnology

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this module, you must be able

to:
1. analyze the issue of nanotechnology and its
impact on society;
2. familiarize the historical background of
nanotechnology;
3. recognize the emerging practice of
nanotechnology in the Philippines; and
4. develop a critical approach in examining the
relationship between scientific development, Photo Source:
technological development, and society. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Book/
Nanoworld-112116573567149/

INTRODUCTION
Modern technologies like modern microscopes can reveal the smallest unit of matter - the atom
which changed human understanding of the nature of many things. As noted, advances in technology allowed
scientists to manipulate at the nanoscale and create products with new properties and capabilities. Such
technologies expose us to the new emerging world known as the Nano World.
This module will bring you to one of the science and technology advancements on the development of a
new and emerging field of nanotechnology and its impact on society. It will help you understand the concept of
nanotechnology. Some questions that you need to ask like when did it start? If it affects society, would it be
beneficial? What is its effect? Does the Philippine government embrace and support this technology?

Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter on a molecular or atomic scale. To give you
an idea of how small are the nanoparticles used in nanotechnology compared to other materials in the
universe, watch the following videos:
 Beyond the data: Preventing adverse health effects from nanotechnology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX0BavA2ovo
 Nanotechnology 2.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X 14sRtcHJXs
 Nano World
https://www.nationalgeograph ic.org/media/nano-world/

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 From the video that you’ve watched, what is your description of nanotechnology? You might have
come up with so many descriptions of nanotechnology. Perhaps one of you will say “Nanotechnology will
make our life easier”. It’s true! The many applications of nanotechnology in various fields like its
application in making computer microprocessors enabled us to communicate faster and do business
transactions efficiently.
In industry, nanotechnology helps improve the products to have many improved features. Some of
the products are sunscreen that contains nanoparticles to make it more effective in blocking UV radiation
and tennis balls and rackets that contain nanomaterials (Carbon nanotubes, Silica nanoparticles, Nano clays
fullerenes) to make it stronger and stiff, more durable, light, and resistant to abrasion.
In the field of medicine (Nanomedicine), nanotechnology is used for easy diagnosis of diseases,
drug delivery, and many more. Recently, nanotechnology is employed to deliver the vaccine to target cells
for the treatment of the very recent COVID 19 infection. The first mRNA Vaccine candidate for COVID
19 was launched into clinical trials and delivered through lipid Nanoparticles (Shin et al. 2020).
The great potential of nanotechnology seems apparent to improve people’s lives. However, the
uncontrolled and unethical use of nanotechnology could render the possibility of unanticipated adverse
effects in the future. Many questions and associated issues need to be addressed as the world embarks on
this newly emerging field.

What is Nanotechnology?

Perhaps this is not the first time you hear the word nanotechnology. But what is nanotechnology?
How did it come to emergence? What size of matter does it deal with? Here are some of the important
information you need to know about nanotechnology.

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 5. The term nanotechnology was coined in 1974 by Norio Taniguchi, a professor
at Tokyo University of Science describing his work on semiconductor processes
such as thin film deposition and ion beam milling on the order of a nanometer
(Bautista et al. 2018).
Norio Taniguchi
(Pinterest.com)

6. The idea and concepts behind nanoscience and nanotechnology started from physicist
Richard Feynman’s talk “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” in an American Physical
Society Meeting at the California Institute of Technology on December 29, 1959, before
the use of the term nanotechnology. It was in 1981 that modern nanotechnology began,
with the development of the scanning tunneling microscope that allows the observation of
individual atoms (Nano.gov). Physicist Richard Feynman is known as the Father of Modern
Nanotechnology (Bayda et al. 2020).
Richard Feynman
(Physicsoftheuniverse.com
7. The prefix “Nano” is a unit of measurement of length. It is a Greek prefix meaning “dwarf” (Bayda
)
et al. 2020). Nanoscale or nanoscopic scale is a measurement of size in nanometers approximately 1-
100 nanometers.

Visualizing a Nanometer

How small is a nanometer? How small is a

nanoparticle manipulated by nanotechnology? If you have
explored the interactive model created by the Huang brothers
(Enrichment Activity 3), you might have a good grasp of the
comparison of things from a macro scale to the microscale and
then to the nanoscale level. However, if you can't still fully
visualize it, then try this. Look at the back of your hands. our
eyes can focus on a scale of 1 centimeter to 1 millimeter but
using a magnifying glass, we can see the fine structure of our
skin (wrinkles and folds) which is at less than a millimeter (one- Atomic Force Microscopy-Wikipedia
thousandth of en.wikipedia.org
a meter). Using the light microscope, we can see the cells that make up the skin which is at the micrometer
scale (microns). Bacteria and cells are measured in micrometers or microns (one- thousandth of a
millimeter). Measurements smaller than microns will bring us to the Nanoworld. A nanometer is 10 -9
meters equivalent to one-thousandth of a micrometer or 0ne-billionth of a meter. Atoms and molecules are
measured at the nanoscale (Bayda et al. 2020). In nanotechnology research, researchers used instruments
like Atomic Force Microscope that enable them to see and manipulate the nanomaterials.

Historical Background of Nanotechnology

a. The Nanotechnology of the Past

Using advanced technologies, scientists today discovered the practice of nanotechnology even before
this term was introduced. The use of this technology by people in the past is outlined below as cited by
Bautista et al. (2018).
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 Group Example Description

Ancient Egyptians Fermentation process at In making bread, wine, beer, cheese, and other
the nano level foodstuffs.

Ancient Rome Lycurgus cup Contains nanoparticles of silver-gold (Ag-Au) alloy

(4th Century with 50-100 nm in diameter as revealed through the use
AD) of Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and x-
ray analysis in 1990.

It is a British heritage with unusual optical properties.

It changes color depending on the lighting conditions.
It appears green in the direct
light and red if illuminated from within.

Middle Ages The stained-glass These windows contained silver and gold (Ag-Au)
windows of the late particles. Their fusion in the glass produced luminous
medieval church red and yellow colors.

Bayda et al. (2020) also reported the use of nanoparticles in the past as outlined through a timeline
format below.

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b. The Nanotechnology of the Modern Era
Nanotechnology has progressed since the early ideas of Feynman until the invention of a new type
of the microscope in 1981 that enables the viewing of nanoparticles. According to Bayda et al. (2020), the
following relates to the progress of nanotechnology of the modern era as shown in the timeline below.

Nanoscience progressed in other fields of science like computer science, biology, and engineering.
The decrease in the size of the normal computers from room size to highly efficient moveable laptops is
due to the progress of nanoscience and nanotechnology. An increased interest in nanoscience and
nanotechnology fields started at the beginning of the 21st century.

Nanotechnology in the Philippines

With the promising benefits offered by nanotechnology, the Nanotech Lab (Nano Lab) which
is one of the few nanotechnology research labs in the Philippines was open to the public on July 1, 2015.
Nano Lab is a project of the Department of Science and Technology – Industrial Technology Development
Institute (DOST-ITDI) that provides R&D opportunities and technical services to local industries through
world-class equipment and devices (DOST News, 2015). As nanotechnology deals with matter at the
nanoscale, sophisticated technologies are required to carry out the objectives of the program on
nanotechnology.
Let’s take a look at the Nanotech Facilities and Equipment in the Philippines as presented by Dr.
Blessie A. Basilia of the Department of Science and Technology – Industrial Technology Development
Institute (DOST-ITDI). What facilities and equipment for nanotechnology researches do we have in the
Philippines? Where can we find them? Study the image shown below.
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 Source: DOST-ITDI (https://docplayer.net/58157931-Status-of-nanotechnology-in-the-
philippines.html)
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) of the Philippines with an interdisciplinary
group consisting of 14 local scientists crafted the Nanotechnology Road Map of the Philippines in 2008
(Dayrit, 2010). Having crafted this nanotechnology road map, nanotechnology projects have been
implemented and supervised by the Department of Science and Technology- Industrial Technology
Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) where the local community is encouraged to depend on the abundant,
unexploited, and natural organic or inorganic nanomaterials (Bautista et al. 2018).
The following are the nanotechnology projects being worked out in the Philippines as listed by
Bautista et al. (2018):

1. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and semiconductors – e.g., use of nanowires to
ultrafast ICT with small power consumption);

2. Solar Cells – e.g., dye sensitized-based solar cells (DSSC), low-cost solar cells belonging to the group of
thin-film solar cells;

3. Agriculture – e.g., facilitate gene transformation and expression of animal and plant cells;
4. Food – e.g., biodegradable food packaging; and 5. Environment – e.g., water purification by Nano filters
for treating heavy metal-contaminated water.

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 Major Environmental Applications of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology has been applied in various fields. Presented below is a list of its
application concerning the environment, Health and Medicine, Agriculture, Transportation, and Space
Exploration.

Environmental Applications Examples

1. Water treatment and Using the following:
purification  Nanomembranes purify, desalinate, and detoxify the
water.
 Nanosensors to detect the contaminants and pathogens in
the water.
 Nanoporous zeolites, Nanoporous polymers, and
attapulgite clays to purify the water.
 Magnetic nanoparticles to treat and remediate the
water; and
 TiO2 nanoparticles to catalyze the degradation of
pollutants
2. Environmental Contaminants and pollutants are removed from the
Remediation contaminated soil, groundwater, and surface water using:

 Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles for abatement of

environmental pollutants
 Nanoscale iron particles

3. Minimize the generation of Green Nanocomposites are eco-friendly materials used to

pollution minimize the generation of pollution.
 Starch-based nanocomposites
 Cellulose-based nanocomposites
 Protein-based nanocomposites

Other Nanotechnology Applications

FIELDS EXAMPLES / DESCRIPTION

1. Health and Medicine (Nikaljie, 2015)  Carbon nanotubes to develop advanced
biosensors
Nanomedicine – an application of  Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to isolate and
nanotechnology in the fields of health and group stem cells
medicine  Quantum dots for molecular imaging and tracing
 Uses nanomaterials of stem cells, for delivery of genes and drugs to
and Nanoelectronic biosensors stem cells
 For early detection and prevention,  Nanoparticles for site-specific drug delivery
improved diagnosis, proper
treatment, and follow-up of
diseases.

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  Applications of  Carbon nanotubes (0.5-3 nm in diameter) to detect
Nanosystems DNA mutation and disease protein biomarker
in cancer therapy  Dendrimers (less than 10 nm in size) useful for
controlled drug delivery and as image contrast
agents
 Nanocrystals (2-9.5 nm size) to improve
formulation for poorly soluble drugs, labeling of
breast cancer marker, Her2 surface of cancer cells
 Nanoparticles (10-1000 nm in size) used in
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and
ultrasound image contrast agents
 Nanoshells for tumor-specific imaging
 Nanowires for detection of disease protein
biomarker, DNA mutation, and gene expression

2. Agriculture (Allianz Global Corporate  Nanomaterials in livestock feed act as mineral

& Specialty, 2017)
 The integration of nanoparticles
in feeds and fertilizers
 Ingredients and Processing –
adding nanoparticles directly to
food and food processing
 Food Packaging
nanotechnology enhances food
pack’s barrier and heat resistance
functions; improves
biodegradability
 Nutritional Supplements
 Nanotechnology in plant
nutrition, pest control, water
contaminant
detection, and
soil remediation(Usman et al.,
2020)
supplements
 Zinc Oxide nanoparticles in fertilizers affecting
plant growth and development
 Nano-titanium dioxide as food additives to make
food appear brighter
 Titanium dioxide in chewing gum is
more than 93% in nanoparticle form
–  Creation of “Smart Packaging” that notify
consumers of microbial contamination by
changing its color and can repair itself when
ripped during transport.
 Nanoparticle ingredients called
“Nanoceuticals” in many nutritional supplements
products
 Nano fertilizers are used to minimize the losses of
mobile nutrients (development of slow/controlled-
release fertilizers e.g. osmocote- in pellet form).
 Nanopesticides are used to control and manage
pests.
 Nanobiosensors are used to detect water
contaminants such as nitrate, nitrite, and
urease from urea.
 Nanomaterials for soil remediation to remove
the pollutants from contaminated soil.

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3. Transportation (Mathew et al., 2019)
 Automobile Industry
4. Space Exploration (Papadopoulos et
al., 2012)
 Robotics Miniaturization in Space
 Nanocomposite-based effective anti- corrosive
coating.
 Embedded nanoparticles like SiO2 in ultraviolet
curable lacquers to improve abrasion resistance.
 Nano filters for air cleaning.
 Micro and Nano Technologies (MNT) to increase
the capabilities of space robotics for their further
mission.

Nanotechnology Issues
Nanotechnology benefited us in many ways. However, along with this benefits are the
issues associated to the use of this nanotechnology products. Some of the identified issues concerning
nanotechnology is outlined below.

Concerns Some Identified Issues

1. Health and Safety  Some Nanoparticles were shown to penetrate cells and can
trigger inflammatory responses and oxidative stress (Schmidt
2009)
2. Environment  Non-antibacterial nanoparticles can cause the resistance of
bacteria in the environment (Science Daily, 2019)
3. Agriculture  Iron Oxide Nanoparticles are toxic to grass
litter decomposition, nitrogen mineralization, and may affect
other ecosystem services (Rashid et al., 2017)

There are many products already sold commercially that include nanomaterials as one of its
components. Some examples of products used every day that uses nanotechnology include sunscreen for
more UV absorption, clothing to make it waterproof or stain proof, furniture to make it less flammable,
adhesive (Nano-glue) that withstand high temperature and even get stronger as temperature increases,
coatings for car paintwork – a high-performance Nano coating that protects car paint works from bird’s poop,
tennis balls that make it bounce longer and tennis rackets stronger, and computer with the latest generation
of Intel’s Core processor technology (10- nanometer chip) that make us do things easily in just one click
(Marr, 2020). However, you have also learned the socio-scientific issues involved in using this technology.
Do the next activity to reflect and examine your thoughts about nanotechnology.

Read the summary of an essay inside the box to know how nanotechnology today impacts the life
of a middle-class Filipino family. This summary is lifted from the book of Bautista et al. (2018) of a real-
life experience today on nanotechnology taken from the essay “Everyday Life Scenario” by Erwin P.
Enriquez. Pp.72-73.

“Juan wants a new computer because his computer can no longer handle the new
computer games. His family goes to the mall. Upon window shopping for what would be an
upgrade or replacement, he read a brochure with the newest processors manufactured using
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32 nanometers (nm) technology. (Example Core TM I, i5, and i7 CPUs). On the other side
of the mall, his mother is looking for an air conditioner to replace the old one, so she can
save on the electric bill. A salesman shows her the added features of the new line of products
which uses something called “Nano” to purify and disinfect the cold air that the unit blows
into the room. His father as he exits from the restroom just realizes that the urinal he just
used did not have to be flushed with water anymore, indeed saving a lot of water, and yet
the restroom did not smell”.
REFERENCES:

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS). 2017. Emerging Liability Risks: Nanotechnology
in Food.
https://www.agcs.allianz.com/content/dam/onemarketing/agcs/agcs/reports/AGCS-Praedicat- Emerging-
Risks-Nanotechnology.pdf
Bautista, D., Burce, N., Dungo, J., Garcia, C., Imson, J., Labog, R., Salazar, F., & Santos,J. 2018.
Science, Technology, and Society. MaxCor Publishing House, Inc. Diliman, Quezon City.
Bayda, S., Adeel, M., Tuccinardi, T., Cordani, M., & Rizzoli, F. 2020. The History of Nanoscience
and Nanotechnology: From Chemical-Physical Applications to Nanomedicine. Molecules 25 (1).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6982820/
Beyond the Data: Preventing adverse health effects from nanotechnology.2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX0BavA2ovo
Dayrit, F. 2010. Nanotechnology Roadmap for the Philippines: An Overview.
http://www.techmonitor.net/tm/images/d/d1/10jan_feb_sf3.pdf
Department of Science and Technology. 2015. DOST’s Nanotech Lab Open to the public on July
1. https://www.dost.gov.ph/knowledge-resources/news/44-2015-news/730-dost-s- nanotech-lab-open-to-
the-public-on-july-1.html

Marr, B. 2020. 7 Amazing everyday examples of nanotechnology in action.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2020/07/03/7-amazing-everyday-examples-of-nanotechnology-in-
action/#59be5acc3e82
Mathew, J., Joy, J., & George, S. 2019. Potential applications of nanotechnology in transportation: A
Review. Journal of King Saud University-Science. 31 (4):586-594
National Geographic. Nano World. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/nano-world/
Nikalje AP (2015) Nanotechnology and its Applications in Medicine. Med chem 5: 081-
089. DOI:10.4172/2161-0444.1000247
Nano.gov. National Nanotechnology Initiative. What is nanotechnology?
https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition
Papadopoulos, E., Paraskevas, L., & Thaleia, F. 2012. Miniaturization and Micro/nanotechnology
in Space Robotics.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/52008075_Miniaturization_and_Micro_Nanotechnolog
y_in_Space_Robotics
Rashid, M., Shahzad, T., Shahid, M. et al. 2017. Toxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles to grass litter
decomposition in sandy soil. Sci Rep 7, 41965. https://www.nature.com/articles/srep41965
Sargent, JF JR. 2011. Nanotechnology and Environmental, Health, and Safety: Issues for
Consideration. Congressional Research Service. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34614.pdf
Schmidt, C. 2009. Nanotechnology-related environment, health, and safety research: Examining
the national strategy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2679627/
Science Daily. 2019. Nanoparticles may have a bigger impact on the environment than previously
thought. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191009162439.htm
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Shin, M.D., Shukla, S., Chung, Y.H., et al. 2020. COVID-!9 vaccine development and a
potential nanomaterial path forward. Nat. Nanotechnol. 15, 646 – 655.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-020-0737

Usman, M., Farooq, M., Wakeel, A., Nawaz, A., Cheema, S. A., Rehman, H. U., Ashraf, I., &
Sanaullah, M. (2020). Nanotechnology in agriculture: Current status, challenges, and future opportunities.
Science of The Total Environment, 721, 137778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137