Nanoworld of Science and Technology
Nanoworld of Science and Technology
Nanoworld of Science and Technology
TECHNOLOGY
PREPARED BY:
JAY MARK UY
ROMIO SECRETARIO
industries and academia. The prefix “nano” denotes sizes of the order of one billionth
worldwide in the past few years. It has the potential for revolutionizing the way in which
materials and products are created and the range and nature of functionalities
from zero to half a million RPM’s in a microsecond; clamps that can literally fit onto
manufacture a computer chip which contained 2,300 transistors and had a clock speed of 0.8
million cycles/second. In 2003 the cost of manufacturing a computer chip (e.g., Pentium)
containing 108 million transistors and a clock speed of 3,000 million cycles/second was 1/1000
Technology has decreased from 10,000 nm in 1971 to a mere 65 nm in 2003 and is predicted to
The number of articles (registered by the Institute for Scientific Information) with “nano”
as a topic increased from approximately 60 in year 1995 to over 3,000 by year 2004, indicating
an increase in the level of interest in this critical area. In 2004, the US spent an estimated 1.6
billion dollars on nanotechnology and registered over 800 nanotechnology patents (Loder, 2005).
In the United States “nanotechnology is the largest federally funded science initiative since the
country decided to put a man on the moon” (Loder, 2005, p. 4). According to Roco (1999),
The two terms often used in the literature with reference to the world of nano
matter.” As Rao (1999) said, “if you take a piece of solid matter (say a metal) containing an
Avogadro number of atoms and go on dividing it to smaller bits, you will ultimately end up with
an atom of the substance. Before that, you will reach a stage of very tiny particles containing 100
to 10,000 atoms. Such particles with diameters of 1-50nm (10-500 Ao) are referred to as
nanoparticles. Nanomaterials exhibit properties entirely different from bulk materials and
Increased surface area and quantum effects are the two key factors that
separate nanomaterials from bulk materials (The Royal Society and The Royal
surface. As size decreases more quantum effects begin to manifest in the form of
Nanoscience refers to the scientific study of materials of nanometer size, i.e., one billionth of a
meter (The Royal Society, 1994). It is a combination of developments in solid state chemistry,
synthetic chemistry, molecular biology, solid state physics and engineering, and scanning
driven research” (p. 2). For example, nanosized indium melts at much lower temperature than
respective bulk metal (Allen, 2002). Copper in extremely thin layers, in the presence of magnetic
Nanotechnology refers to various technologies to produce materials of extra high precision and
“implies the ability to generate and utilize structures, components, and devices with a size range
from about 0.1nm (atomic and molecular scale) to about 100nm (or larger in some situations) by
control at atomic, molecular, and macromolecular levels” (Roco, 1999, p. 131). One of the most
1994b). As Stoddart (cited in The Royal Society, 1994) described, “think of atoms as the
supramolecular arrays as paragraphs” (p. 2). Nanotechnology examples and applications include
Nanotechnology Examples
Cell Pharmacology: Use of nanomachines for site-specific delivery of drugs, and useful in
genetic engineering.
Nanotechnology Applications
Nanocrystals: Formed by combining two or more molecules of inorganic substances, i.e., silica
and aluminum to form commercial grade heat and rust resistant coatings.
Nanotubes: Carbon atom aggregates in various forms at nanoscale, for example in the shape of
cylinders which are electrical conductors, can be mixed with special polymers to make
Quantum Dots: Size and arrangement of nanocrystals impact physical properties such as color
(Carraher, Jr., 1994c). For example, nanogold appears orange (<1nm) or red (3- 30nm)
depending on the size and arrangement of gold aggregates. Clear Sunscreen containing
nanosized Zinc Oxide particles allows visible light to pass through and absorbs UV rays, hence
appears colorless whereas bulk Zinc Oxide in regular sunscreens scatters visible light resulting in
white color.
Organization
The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Technology, The
Nanoscale Dimensions
Nanoworld is a highly integrated and extensively broad area of research and development. The
Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering (2004) have categorized nanoscience into
nanoscale in one dimension; nanoscale in two dimensions; and nanoscale in three dimensions.
Nanoscale in one dimension includes thin films, layers and engineered surfaces. They provide
large surface area support in catalysts useful for “on-site” manufacturing of pharmaceuticals in
smaller quantities.
nanotubes, nanowires and biopolymers. Carbon nanotubes in the form of wires and tubes exhibit
a wide range of electrical and mechanical properties. Inorganic nanotubes are potentially useful
Nanoparticles show optical properties, high chemical reactivity and are useful for targeted drug
Potential Uses
The joint Center for Bioethics in Canada ranked potential uses of nanosciences and
nanotechnologies with respect to development. The top ten uses follow (BBC News, 2005).
Energy production, conservation and storage
Construction
Monitoring health
Issues
The nanoworld is not without issues. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
Committee on Technology in the United States raised concerns over the short term and long term
health issues originating from nanotechnology products. Certain types of single walled carbon
nanotubes are water soluble and shown to enter T cells (King, 2005). Carbon nanotubes are
pulmonary toxicants. The British Government (2005) in a regulatory effort required all new nano
End Note
The nanoworld is perhaps the fastest growing world in the twenty-first century. Global
the nanoworld holds any solutions for problems faced by science education is a critical question
related to human health and the environment are only beginning to surface raising serious
are warranted to make the best use of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The nanoworld will
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