Nanotechnology

• Nanotechnology


  The study of incredibly small structures, ranging in size from 0.1 to 100 nm
• Industries using nanotechnology


  • Electronics
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • Health and medical
• Nanotechnology


  The design, characterization, production, and application of materials, devices, and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanoscale
• Nanomaterials


  Categorized according to their dimensions
• Breadth of human hair is 8100 nanometers
• Nanoscale automata


  Nanodevice or nanomachine
• Direct application of nanotechnology

  Nanosized materials employed directly in an application
• Indirect nanotechnology device


  Device that includes a nanodevice—possibly together with other micro or macro components and systems
• Nanoscience seems unnecessary if it is used in the sense of "the science underlying nanotechnology"
• 3 aspects of nanotechnology

  • A universal fabrication procedure
  • A particular way of conceiving, designing, and modeling materials, devices, and systems, including their fabrication
  • The creation of novelty
• Scientists have been able to see the materials they are working with such as displaying particles as small as atoms using microscopes
• The scale of things

  Comparing the size of a nanometer to several objects, from things that can be seen with the unaided eye like an ant, to things that are at least a nanometer in size like the ATP molecule that humans utilize to store energy from meals
• Nanotechnology provides a fresh and improved method for identifying and treating cancer
• Nanotechnology can create catalysts that convert vapors escaping from automobiles or industrial plants into safe gasses more effectively
• Nanotechnology can create new, faster computer types, more effective power sources, and life-saving medical procedures
• The concept of self-replicating nanobots consuming everything in their path, known as "gray goo", is no longer seen as a real danger
• Advantages of nanotechnology manufacturing

  • New materials becoming available
  • Aerogels - extremely light and strong materials with extraordinary insulating qualities
  • Nanotubes and nanoparticles - tubes and particles only a few atoms across, could open the way for new methods and better goods
  • Nanofactories and nanobots - robots that are only a few nanometers long, may also be used to create innovative materials and products
• Ways nanotechnology can impact energy

  • Likely to increase the affordability of solar energy by lowering the cost of producing solar panels and accompanying machinery
  • Energy storage devices will operate more effectively
  • New ways of producing and storing energy
• Quantum dots


  Extremely small light-producing cells that can be utilized for display screens or illumination
• Millions of components can already be found on silicon chips
• Circuits are so small that if a molecule is out of position, the circuit won't function as intended
• Medical applications of nanotechnology

  • Nanobots could be injected into the arteries of a patient to remove obstructions
  • Surgery could become considerably more efficient and precise
  • Be able to repair the broken genes in order to treat hereditary diseases
  • Drug manufacture could be improved by being molecularly tailored to increase effectiveness and minimize negative effects
• Disadvantages of nanotechnology


  • Economic - Although the first nanotechnology-enabled products may be pricey luxury or niche goods, as availability grows, more and more markets will be affected. Some materials and technology might become dated, which would force businesses that specialized in those fields out of business. Nanotechnology-driven modifications to the production process could lead to employment losses.
• Types of nanotechnology


  • Carbon-based nanoparticles
  • Ceramic nanoparticles
  • Metal nanoparticles
  • Semiconductor nanoparticles
  • Polymeric nanoparticles
  • Lipid-based nanoparticles
• Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes

  The two major components of carbon-based nanoparticles, which are nothing more than rolled-up graphene sheets. They are primarily utilized for structural reinforcement due to their 100 times greater strength than steel.
• Types of carbon nanotubes

  • Single-walled carbon nanotubes
  • Multi-walled carbon nanotubes
• Fullerenes


  A carbon allotrope that has a hollow cage structure made up of at least sixty carbon atoms, resembling a hollow football. They have commercial applications due to their electrical conductivity, structure, high strength, and electron affinity.
• Ceramic nanoparticles


  Inorganic solids made comprised of oxides, carbides, carbonates, and phosphates, with high thermal resistance and chemical inertness. They are used for imaging, medication administration, photocatalysis, and dye degradation, and can be used as a drug delivery agent by manipulating certain of its properties, such as size, surface area, porosity, surface to volume ratio, etc.
• Metal nanoparticles


  Created using chemical, electrochemical, or photochemical processes, with high surface energy and can adsorb tiny molecules. They are used in bioanalytical and environmental testing, detection and imaging of biomolecules.
• Semiconductor nanoparticles


  Resemble both metals and non-metals in their characteristics, found in groups II–VI, III–V, or IV–VI of the periodic table, with broad bandgaps that, when tuned, exhibit various features like photocatalysis, electronics, photo-optics, and water splitting.
• Polymeric nanoparticles


  Have a small size and can be nanocapsular or nanosphere-like structures, with controlled release, drug molecule protection, the possibility to combine therapy with imaging, and precise targeting. They are used in diagnostics and medicine delivery, and are very biocompatible and biodegradable.
• Nanocapsular particle


  Core-shell shape
• Nanosphere particle


  Matrix-like structure
• Lipid-based nanoparticles


  Spherical shape with a diameter between 10 and 100 nm, consisting of a matrix made up of soluble lipophilic molecules and a solid lipid core, with the exterior core stabilized by emulsifiers and surfactants. They are used in the biomedical industry as medication carriers, delivery systems, and RNA release agents in the treatment of cancer.
• Tools for nanotechnology


  • Microscopes
  • Probes
  • Lithography systems
  • Fabrication and manipulation tools
  • Software
• Chemical sensors


  Detect very small amounts of chemical vapors using various types of detecting elements like carbon nanotubes, zinc oxide nanowires or palladium nanoparticles
• Applications of nanotechnology


  • Medicine - administer medications to your body's sick cells directly, significantly lessen the harm that chemotherapy and other treatments do to a patient's healthy cells
  • Electronics - increase the capabilities of electronics devices while reducing their weight and power consumption
  • Food - developing nanomaterials that will make a difference in taste, safety, and health benefits
  • Fuel cells - reducing the cost of catalysts, increasing the effectiveness of membranes, making fuel production more efficient and cost-effective
  • Solar cells - developed nanotech solar cells that can be manufactured at significantly lower cost than conventional solar cells
  • Batteries - will be as good as new after sitting on the shelf for decades, can be recharged significantly faster than conventional batteries
  • Space - Lightweight spacecraft and a cable for the space elevator, cutting the cost of entering orbit and moving through space
  • Better air quality - enhance the efficiency of catalysts that turn vapors leaving from vehicles or industrial facilities into safe gasses
  • Better water quality - removal of industrial contaminants from groundwater using nanoparticles
  • Chemical sensors - detect extremely minute quantities of chemical vapors using nanotubes, nanowires, and nanoparticles
  • Sporting goods - increase strength and performance of materials
• Other applications of nanotechnology

  • Cancer treatment
  • Protein and peptide delivery
  • Medication delivery
  • Treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
  • Treatment of tuberculosis
  • Clinical use in dentistry, ophthalmology, and surgery
  • Visualization, tissue engineering, and immune response
• Nanoparticles are being used by researchers in medication delivery systems, medical imaging, and tumor targeting, to both detect cancers and transport drugs to treat them
• Nanomedicine can be used to identify and cure disease in patients suffering from a wide range of illnesses