Nano is a billionth of a meter and nanotechnology refers to the skillfull use and research of materials generally below 100 nanometers. For example, a human hair is about 50,000 nanometers and a red blood cell is about 5,000 nanometers! Nanoscale materials can be altered and manipulated and designed to produce the desired effect. In doing so has allowed scientists to use nanoparticles, nanorobots and DNA nanotechnology etc. to develop applications useful for everyday use, and specially for medical purposes. (1, 2)
Background-What is Nanotechnology?
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But why are researchers and scientists so excited about nanotechnology?
First of all, inventions such as the atomic force microscope (AFM) and the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) have revoltionized the way scientist view things. These "instruments allow deliberate manipulation and manufacture of nanostructures. Something that wasn't possible before". This has led to further knowledge of the world around us, but more at the nanoscale level. (3)
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Revolving New Technologies
An example of how nanotechnology is changing traditional technologies is the microchip. In 1947, the very first transistors invented were more than 1 centimeter in length. Today, the transistors can be as small as 30 nanometers, which is "over three hundred thousand times smaller". Image 1 illustrates a traditional "first point contact transistor built in 1947" and Image 2 shows a latest chip that can hold upto 1.9 billion transistors all in one! (4)
"The first point contact transistor built in 1947" (Image 1)
"Intel's 32 nm Nehalem chip architecture incorporates around 1.9 billion transistors in a single chip" (Image 2)
"The first point contact transistor built in 1947" (Image 1)
Challenges
Imagine dividing a strand of hair into a billion parts! Working with nanostructures is extremely difficult! Nano is also much more complex than micro. Overcoming the safety issues of nanoparticles, including nanopollutants is another big challenge that scientists face. Other challenges associated with nano are summarized below:-
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"Overcome the huge surface energy, a result of enormous surface area to volume ratio"
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Making sure that all nanostructures have the "desired size, uniform size distribution, morphology, crystallinity, chemical composition, and microstructure", in addition to the accuracy of manipulated physical properties
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Making sure that nanomaterials don't "coarsen" over time (5, 6)
Learn about the specific risk factors and disadvantages of nanotechnology in the page below: