NANOTECHNOLOGY – AN INSIDE GUIDE

Nanotechnology speaks to the scientific field focused on manipulating matter on an extremely small scale, at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers. To put this scale in perspective, a single sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. Many consider nanotechnology to have emerged in the 1980s with two major developments – the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1981, which allows imaging of individual atoms, and the discovery of fullerenes in 1985, a form of carbon molecules at the nanoscale.

The ability to see and manipulate matter at the nanoscale opens up a world of potential applications across industries. At such small dimensions, matter can have vastly different properties compared to the properties of the same bulk material. For example, materials like gold and aluminum which are chemically stable at normal scales can become catalysts that speed up chemical reactions at the nanoscale. Manipulating materials at this tiny scale allows scientists and engineers to create novel devices, structures, and systems with completely new functions and capabilities.

Major areas of nanotechnology research include nanoelectronics, developing nano-sized transistors, computer chips, and circuits that could continue the trend of faster and more powerful computing devices. It also includes developing nano-bio devices and systems that integrate biological and synthetic components for applications like targeted drug delivery and diagnostic sensors. Energy is another major area, using nanomaterials to enable more efficient solar cells, better batteries and fuel cells, and catalysts to improve production processes. Nanotechnology is also enabling development of extremely strong and reactive materials for applications ranging from construction, coatings and fabrics, to cosmetics, sunscreens, and purification systems.

While the promise of nanotechnology is exciting, it also poses potential environmental and health risks if exposure to nanomaterials is unsafe. Regulating agencies struggle to determine how to manage health and safety with such rapidly emerging innovations. Public acceptance and adoption of products enabled by nanotechnology also rely heavily on appropriate safety testing and responsible development by scientists and companies working in this powerful field. Careful advancement of nanotechnology could lead to groundbreaking, world-changing developments across industries, while also avoiding unintended hazardous consequences.