Nano Technology

Definition:

              “Nanotechnology means the creation and use of materials or devices at extremely small scales.” (Encarta Online, “Nanotechnology”) Throughout history, human nature has pushed us to search for new knowledge and information that would lead to the betterment of society. Living in the 21^st century, thirst for knowledge and information has become part of our culture.

We surf the web, watch television, and read books, all to contribute to our everyday satisfaction. Advancement in technology has then enhanced our quality of life. Things we take for granted today – cellular phones, handheld computers, mp3 players – were not imagined 10 or 20 years ago. These machines as well as many new technologies today possess some sort of Nano technological device in their system. Though a significant number of breakthroughs in nanotechnology have occurred, scientists believe that they have only “scratched the surface” of this field’s potential.

Size:

Nano distances refer to the range of 1 to 100 nanometers.

The 2000s has seen the beginnings of the applications of nanotechnology in commercial products, although most applications are limited to the bulk use of passive nanomaterial. Examples include titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunscreen, cosmetics and some food products; silver nanoparticles in food packaging, clothing, disinfectants and household appliances such as Silver Nano; carbon nanotubes for stain-resistant textiles; and cerium oxide as a fuel catalyst.As of March 10, 2011, the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies estimated that over 1300 manufacturer-identified nanotech products are publicly available, with new ones hitting the market at a pace of 3–4 per week. Nanotechnology is being used in developing countries to help treat disease and prevent health issues.

Uses:

Nano Medicine

It is the medical application of nanotechnology.Nanomedicine ranges from the medical applications of Nanomaterials, to Nano electronic biosensors, and even possible future applications of molecular nanotechnology. Current problems for Nanomedicine involve understanding the issues related to toxicity and environmental impact of Nano scale materials (materials whose structure is on the scale of nanometers, i.e. billionths of a meter).

Industrial applications

Nanotechnology is impacting the field of consumer goods, providing products with novel functions ranging from easy-to-clean to scratch-resistant. Modern textiles are wrinkle-resistant and stain-repellent; in the mid-term clothes will become "smart", through embedded "wearable electronics". Several products that incorporate Nanomaterials are already in use.

Nanomaterials are in a variety of items, many of which people do not even realize contain nanoparticles. For example, car bumpers are made lighter, clothing is more stain repellant, sunscreen is more radiation resistant, synthetic bones are stronger, cell phone screens are lighter weight, glass packaging for drinks leads to a longer shelf-life, and balls for various sports are made more durable.Such novel products have a promising potential especially in the field of cosmetics. Nanotechnology also has numerous potential applications in heavy industry.

Nanotechnology is predicted to be a main driver of technology and business in this century and holds the promise of higher performance materials, intelligent systems and new production methods with significant impact for all aspects of society.

Energy Applications

Nanotechnology, a new field in science, is any technology that contains components smaller than 100 nanometers. For scale, a single virus particle is about 100 nanometers in width.

An important subfield of nanotechnology related to energy is nanofabrication. Nanofabrication is the process of designing and creating devices on the Nano scale. Creating devices smaller than 100 nanometers opens many doors for the development of new ways to capture, store, and transfer energy. The inherent level of control that nanofabrication could give scientists and engineers would be critical in providing the capability of solving many of the problems that the world is facing today related to the current generation of energy technologies.

People in the fields of science and engineering have already begun developing ways of utilizing nanotechnology for the development of consumer products. Benefits already observed from the design of these products are an increased efficiency of lighting and heating, increased electrical storage capacity, and a decrease in the amount of pollution from the use of energy. Benefits such as these make the investment of capital in the research and development of nanotechnology a top priority.

Disadvantages:

The potential problem with nanotechnology is the lack of our own knowledge. We know that we can create materials with nanotechnology but we still have to stop and understand the impact of the creation of these products will have on the Nano scale.

If we change the structure of material on the nan level without understanding the potential impact on the Nano scale, we risk creating a whole world of materials that have atoms that actually do not fit together cohesively.

There are some potential disadvantages of nanotechnology that fall in the realm of both the practical and the ethical. If nanotechnology can help the human body recovers from illness or injury then it is quite possible that nanotechnology can create an altered human state.

We could potentially be able to create a human race that is engineered and altered to become hyper—intelligent and super strong. The serious complications with such issues include the idea that the scientific technology would only be available to those who can afford it. That would mean there would be an underclass of people; the people we are now.

Should nanotechnology actually be able to procure an honest and true molecular manufacturing machine for every household how would the world’s economy survive? What would we do with all those jobs that are lost in the manufacturing fields and how would we calculate monetary concerns when it comes to this type of on demand manufacturing?

There is a host of potential weaponry that could be produced on a molecular level. For any scientist, the potential to engineer diseases and create lethal weaponry that can’t even be seen is an ethical quagmire. Even more distressing is whether or not other countries that have nanotechnology capabilities will create these weapons.

While it sounds as though the disadvantages of nanotechnology will be the end of the world, this is not really the case. With all the good any science can do, there is always the capability of engineering evil potential. There is a system of checks and balances in place to help prevent the mishandling of scientific research and capabilities.

There is also not a great likelihood that most of the potential disadvantages will come to fruition. Rather, it is more likely that the ethical questions and concerns will be addressed as the potential for actual development and practical use comes into play. Most of the concerns that scientists and ethical experts are concerned with will not be a realistic potential for a long time to come.