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NANOTECHNOLOGY
“Nanotechnology” is a collective term that defines the technological proceedings
at a nanometric scale. Nanotechnology represents any technology whose finite result is of
nanometric order: fine particles, chemical synthesis, advanced microlithography. More
specifically, nanotechnology is any technology that is based on the ability to build complex
structures that respect atomic specifications by using mechanical synthesis. Nanometric
structures are not only very small (reaching the atomic scale during their manufacturing),
but they also have some very special and unexpected properties, in comparison with the
same substance viewed from a macroscopic level.
Doctors often have to deal with cases in which they need to
perform complex microsurgeries to repair blood vessels, for tissue
transplants or for the re-attachment of amputated limbs. Because these
procedures are very complicated, surgery is rarely the optimal procedure
because it is too invasive. However, in the near future the medical
domain will adapt and will employ nanotechnology methods that will
allow even the most difficult tasks to be performed by remotely
controlled robotic mechanisms.
At the Tonhuku University (Japan), eng. Kazushi Ishivama together with
his research group, projected little rotating electronic spirals, capable of
floating through the fluid of the smallest organic vessels. They can enter
tumours in order to destroy them or they can deliver drugs to various
tissues and organs. Because of their small size, they can be injected into
the human body with a simple syringe and then controlled with the
impulses generated by a magnetic field and with a remote control.
THE FUTURE IS NANO!
The future advances of nanotechnology are impressive. The NASA Institute
for Advanced Concepts was especially created for promoting the visionary
research in the spatial technologies domain which will take 10 to 40 years to
be implemented. Such an example would be a study of the feasibility of a
manufacturing process – using a large number of microscopic molecular
machines to produce any object by assembling it atom by atom. Such a nanofactory could produce, for example, components for spacecrafts with an
atomic precision.
Other researchers propose solutions based on machines already
functional which can be found in the cells: DNA molecules, proteins,
enzymes. Because they have been evolving for millions of years, these
biological molecules are already adapted for manipulating molecular
matter because of hundreds of specialized proteins and enzymes and
because of the DNA which stores to code for their manufacturing. This
new, emerging science is called bio-nanotechnology.
An application of bio-nanotechnology would be a “second skin”
for astronauts that would detect the radiation that penetrates their
costume and would seal any cracks.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS ALREADY IMPLEMENTED
Car paint with superior qualities (repair themselves at scratches)
Driving mirrors that don’t blind the driver
Car windows onto which it is impossible for water to condense
Transparent windows on the top if the car which produce electric
current/which become dark
Manufacturing materials with better properties
Adhesive substances which allow the separation of two metallic pieces if
microwaves are applied
Car tires that reduce internal friction
NANOMATERIALS
Nanomaterials are produced out of components of at most 100
nm and are formed of groups of tens or hundreds of atoms. As a
comparison, the diameter of the human hair is 80-100 thousand nm. The
most researched nanomaterials are based on carbon nanotubes or
nanospheres. Nanomaterials could be used in the electronic and medical
domain, but they may be toxic precisely because of their small
dimensions.
Optical nanomaterials are called “plasmodic metamaterials” because their unique physical
properties originate from their form and structure. Two examples of metamaterials in nature are the
feathers of the peacock and the wings of the butterfly. The colours are due to the structural variations at
a level of hundreds of nanometers, which makes them reflect or absorb light. By using a new
manufacturing technique, the researchers made thin gold films with tiny holes (up to 100 nm) in a matrix
form which practically extended up to infinity. The disposal of the holes affects the behavior of light.
These materials can also be used as optical sensors and they
give the possibility of manufacturing a very small light source. Moreover,
because of their precise organization, they can serve as patterns for their
own division or for obtaining other materials with an ordered structure
such as matrices of nanoparticles.
The development of science proved that the
most spectacular results are obtained by
multidisciplinary research. The higher the
number of these concurrent disciplines, the
fastest is the development of a new science
and the impact which it will have on society.
USES OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
In the food industry:
Some applications of nanotechnology called nanosensors are used to identify
pathogenic agents, bacteria or allergenic substances in vegetables or animal products. They
help the producers to eliminate these threats and to distribute high-quality products which
are safe to be consumed.
In cosmetics:
Nanotechnology is considered “the next big thing” in the
manufacturing process of cosmetics products, especially of
the anti-aging ones. However, nanotechnology is not a new
concept, being first used in 1959, when the first theoretical
ideas were proposed. They refer to the control of matter at a
molecular and atomic level in order to obtain more efficient
results, making the cosmetic products of our days very
powerful.