Nanotechnology

One nanometer is 1 billionth of a meter. As examples of this scale, the width of one sheet of paper is 10^-4 m, and the width of one strand of human hair is 80,000 nanometers (nm). The nanoscale is the study of objects from tens to hundreds of nm and it is one of the largest growing fields in the study of physics, biology, chemistry, and technology in recent years.

The innovative ideas of nanoscience and nanotechnology became possible in the 1910’s with the development of the first tools to measure & make nanostructures. The development of nanostrucutures originated from the discovery of electrons and neutrons, which indicate that matter, can exist on a much smaller scale. Nanotechnology takes miniaturization to a much greater levels of smallness.

Nanoscience is the study of phenomena and manipulation of materials at atomic and molecular scales where properties differ:

Objects such as pencil lead to C₆₀ or a nanoscale act differently on the nanoscale.
Properties like color, shape, and etc change from a microscopic scale to a nanoscale.

In essence, nanotechnology is an extension of existing technology in the nanoscale. There are two main approaches to make the materials in nanotechnology:

A “bottom-up” approach where nano-materials are assembling by themselves.
A “top-down” approach where they are synthesized by removing part of an existing material from larger entities in a designed pattern.

The goal of nanotechnology is to design and fabricate materials at the nanoscale (or the atomic scale) so the materials have the ideal physical properties for various practical applications.

Nanotechnology has many applications in daily life. One example is to facilitate the creation of superior cosmetic products of nano-particles. For instance, BASF, which is a chemical company, is one of the leading suppliers of UV absorbers that are based on a nanoparticulate known as zinc oxide. The zinc oxide is incorporated into sun creams; the small particles filter the high-energy radiation out of sunlight. Because of their tiny size, they remain invisible to the naked eye and so the cream is transparent on the skin. From nanotechnology at BASF, sunscreens are utilizing nanoparticles that are extremely effective at absorbing light, especially in the ultra-violet (UV) range. Due to the particle size, they spread more easily, cover the skin better, and are transparent, unlike traditional screens, which are white. Another example is that Kodak use full color OLED’s for car stereos and cell phones. For the stain-repellent khakis by Eddie Bauer and the “stain defender” khakis by Levi Dockers, both companies use a nanoscale cloth treatment with surface fibers of 10 to 100 nm. Protective coatings for wood surface that have been treated with a nanoparticulate surface coating, which has the surface extremely water-repellent.

Other examples of applications of nanotechnology include Nanocomposite dispersion for exterior paints that combines the advantages of hardness and breath ability with those of elasticity and water resistance, Synthetic bone which can be used where the natural bone has been damaged or removed, Nanocomposite coatings for cutting tools that consists of two phases: nanocrystalline phase and amorphous phase, tennis balls with double ounce time, Nanocomposite materials for cars currently being used by GM and Toyota, vitamins & additives in food, and stain resistant textiles.

The potential future benefits of nanotechnology include LED’s which are energy efficient. According to a U.S. Department of Energy study, solid-state lighting could replace traditional light sources over the next two decades and decrease U.S. energy consumption by nearly 30%. The solution to purify water to end global shortage with better filtration that will completely purity even the most polluted water. The Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) technology is an electrode implant that is surgically placed in the retina that is connected to a camera embedded into eyeglasses. The camera captures an image that is converted into digital data and then is sent to the implant, which generates a pattern of electrical pulses; thus, the pulses are then transmitted to the retina. Clinical trials are now being tested at the University of Southern California’s Doheny Eye Institute. If the next generation of implants is perfected on the much smaller nanoscale, it could help blind patients recover lost vision.

One of the active nanotechnology programs at Illinois State University is that faculty and students in the Department of Physics are collaborating with Caterpillar, a major manufacturer of heavy machines and engines to develop thermoelectric materials to harvest wasting heat or make refrigerators that are efficient, light weight, and environmental friendly.