What is Nanotech, and how do we use it?
Nanotech, or nanotechnology, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale, meant for industrial purposes and implementation. Whilst it’s only been around for 40 years, nanotech has already been used in a variety of different ways including being used in everyday materials, electronics and medicine. However, nanotech is also something for the future, with it potentially being environmentally redeeming, both improving the way we harness energy, and the way in which that energy is used. Although it does possess many benefits, nanotech, like everything else, does come with drawbacks too.
Nanotech is seen as one of the fastest growing ways in which we are contributing, developing and improving many sectors of our lives. Although the size of nanoparticles are hard to comprehend, the worldwide investment into nanotech has been estimated to be just under 250 billion US dollars, approximately £179 billion. With this much investment, it is most likely inevitable that nanotech will become increasingly more influential on our lives. As mentioned a moment ago, nanotech can be utilised in a wide range of sectors that could improve our society. These include:
ELECTRONICS – When designing electronics, engineers and designers will always be striving to make the most effective piece of equipment available. In doing so, they will often try to use the smallest, yet the most powerful processors, motherboards, microchips, storage devices and anything else that will make their product better. Nanotech is helping to improve these electronic devices as it can be utilised to create quicker, smaller, more powerful and lighter devices. Given that a tennis ball is 100,000,000 million times bigger than a nanoparticle, it is easy to see why and how nanotechnology is being used to cultivate and improve electronic devices. Many new devices like TVs, laptops, cameras and mobile phones all use nanotech. OLED TVs, also known as Organic Light-Emitting Diodes use nanostructured polymers to create screens that last longer and are brighter than the average.
ENERGY – With more research into energy consumption and renewable energy resources, it’s no wonder that many companies have turned to nanotech to help achieve efficient energy sources. Kyoto University developed a new semiconductor which allowed solar panels to double the amount of light converted to energy. Nanotech also can create longer-lasting batteries which can enable which can also allow for more energy to be stored, add to this that nanotech is being used to create an epoxy containing carbon nanotubes which can make windmill blades stronger, and lower in weight which increases how much energy can be harnessed from renewable sources.
MEDICINE – Due to their small size, nanoparticles and nanomaterials are able to effectively discover, diagnose, combat and control harmful diseases and cancers. Again, their size is beneficial in this as it allows them to target the individual cells and not damage the other cells around them. Brain cancer is one of the hardest cancers to detect and treat due to the vulnerability of the brain, and the difficulty in getting to it. However, anti-cancer drugs such as loperamide and doxorubicin, which have been successfully created with the use of nanomaterials, is able to get past barriers, like the blood-brain barrier which other treatments wouldn’t have been able to, and as a result be released at therapeutic concentrations in the brain.
ENVIRONMENTAL – Nanotech has also been implemented environmentally with the use of air and water filtration and purification systems leading to healthier and cleaner water and air. A catalyst is something that is used to either speed up or begin a usually chemical process, however nanocatalysts have now been successfully created and are being used to make chemical reactions more effective and efficient as well as being less polluting. Speaking of polluting, as mentioned earlier, the more emphasis placed on renewable energy sources will also lead to a less polluted world, with cleaner, greener energies.
FABRIC – Nanotech has been implemented into fabrics and textiles as well, with there being the possibility of creating what’s known as ‘smart fabrics’. These fabrics will be able to avoid creases and wrinkling, as well as be stronger, and more difficult to rip and tear.