What Is Nanotechnology
What Is Nanotechnology
What Is Nanotechnology
What is nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at this length scale.
GGSNA Mission
Promote regional economic development by facilitating commercialization of nanotechnology in and around New Jersey Identify capabilities and coordinate collaborations among academia, industry, small business, government, investors and service providers in the following market sectors: Advanced, Functional & Smart Materials Optoelectronics & Sensors Telecommunications & Computing Energy & Environment Transportation Defense & Homeland Security Drug Discovery, Formulation & Delivery Health Care & Medical Diagnostics Medical Devices Personal Care & Cosmetics Food, Flavors & Fragrances
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Applications Funding
Industry
Government
Sustainability
Invention
Innovation
Healing and Preserving the Environment Making Information Technology Available To All Enabling Space Development
Sustainability
Improving multidisciplinary education: K-12 and college levels Providing workforce training Mastering nanoscale fabrication and manufacturing techniques Understanding and solving environmental issues
Co-locate with innovation and entrepreneurship centers, business schools or existing technology incubators
Extra Slides
What is invention?
A new or improved product (material, component, device, machine, system) or process (synthesis, treatment, fabrication, method of manufacturing) discovered as a result of study or experimentation. Inventions that are novel (unique), useful and non-obvious to someone skilled in the art can be patented as compositions of matter, process of making, or field of use.
What is innovation?
The act or process of commercializing an invention or introducing something new or improved that creates value in the form of a commercial product. Innovation requires people using new knowledge and understanding to experiment with new possibilities and using sound collaborative decision making tools in order to choose and implement new ideas.
What is sustainability?
An attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future by relating to the continuity of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society, as well as the non-human environment.
Sustainability is intended to be a means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals in a very long term. It affects every level of organization - the family, the company, the community, and the entire planet.
What is nanotechnology - I?
Nanotechnology is the know-how that enables control of nanometer-scale phenomena to engineer value-add products*.
It is implied that research and development had to be done somewhere and sometime to warrant the engineering. The research conducted at the nanoscale that results in a discovery and possibly an invention may be more accurately referred to as nanoscience. The technology part of nanotechnology suggests that some practical or applied development work has been done or is being done to transform an invention into an innovation with commercial and financial objectives in mind.
* In this definition of nanotechnology, know-how encompasses the body of fundamental and practical knowledge (competencies and capabilities) for studying, developing making and using something - materials, components, devices, systems, tools, instruments, machines, equipment, facilities, methods, techniques and procedures, processes, etc. Enable implies that this know-how is essential and serves as a platform for technology differentiation. Control refers to the ability to manipulate (move, assemble), visualize (image, measure), simulate (understand, predict) atoms, molecules or macromolecules. Nanometer scale, or nanoscale, is between 1 to 100 nm in at least one dimension. Phenomena refers to the structure and behavior of matter at the nanoscale such that quantum mechanical and surface science effects become significant. Engineer includes design, model and build (synthesize, assemble, construct, fabricate, manufacture). Value-add suggests unique, novel, useful or worthwhile property features (physical, chemical or biological), multi-functionality, performance benefits, cost advantages, safety improvements, etc. that customers need or want in a product, are willing to pay for, and that serve as the basis for creating and capturing profit along a suppliercustomer value chain. Products include materials, devices, or systems (small and intermediate structures).
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How can nanotechnology promise to build products with both extreme precision in structure, and environmental cleanliness in the production process?
Traditional manufacturing builds in a "top down" fashion, taking a chunk of material and removing chunks of it - for example, by grinding, or by dissolving with acids - until the final product part is achieved. The goal of nanotechnology is to instead build in a "bottom-up" fashion, starting with individual molecules and bringing them together to form product parts in which every atom is in a precise, designed location. In comparison with the top-down approach, this method could potentially have much less material left over, greatly reducing pollution. In practice, both top-down and bottom-up methods are useful and being actively pursued at the nanoscale. However, the ultimate goal of building products with atomic precision will require a bottom-up approach.
What results can be expected in the nearterm? The mid-term? The long-term?
Nanotech's development can usefully be divided into stages, for example:
1st generation: Passive nanostructures 2nd generation: Active nanostructures 3rd generation: Three-dimensional nanosystems with heterogeneous nanocomponents 4th generation: Heterogeneous molecular nanosystems, where each molecule in the nanosystem has a specific structure and plays a different role
1st generation products are commercially available, 2nd generation work is taking place in the laboratory, and later generations are at the computational experiment and modeling stage.
What nanotechnology products are available today or are currently being developed - I?
With basic research under way for 20-plus years, nanotechnologies are gaining in commercial introductions. In the short term, nanoparticles will be introduced into many existing materials, making them stronger or changing their conductive properties. Significantly stronger polymers will make plastics more widely used to reinforce materials and replace metals, even in the semiconductor area. One of the most innovative new products is one that enhances biological imaging for medical diagnostics and drug discovery. Quantum dots are semi-conducting nanocrystals that, when illuminated with ultraviolet light, emit a vast spectrum of bright colors that can be used to identify and locate cells and other biological activities. These crystals offer optical detection up to a thousand times brighter than conventional dyes used in many biological tests, such as MRIs, and render significantly more information. The latest display technology for laptops, cell phones, digital cameras and other uses are made of nanostructured polymer films. Known as OLEDs, or organic light emitting diodes, several large companies will begin producing them in late 2003 and early 2004. Among OLED screen advantages are brighter images, lighter weight, less power consumption and wider viewing angles.
What nanotechnology products are available today or are currently being developed - II?
Nanoparticles also are being used increasingly in catalysis, where the large surface area per unit volume of nanosized catalysts enhances reactions. Greater reactivity of these smaller agents reduces the quantity of catalytic materials necessary to produce desired results. The oil industry relies on nanoscale catalysts for refining petroleum, while the automobile industry is saving large sums of money by using nanosized in place of larger platinum particles in its catalytic converters. Because of their size, filters made of nanoparticles also have been found to be excellent for liquid filtration. Several products are now available for large-scale water purification that can take out the tiniest bacteria and viruses from water systems, in addition to chemicals and particulate matter. Another example of rapid insertion of nanotechnology into useful applications is in the field of wearresistant coatings. In the mid-1990s nanoceramic coatings exhibiting much higher toughness than conventional coatings were first developed. Beginning in 1996, the DOD supported partnerships among the Navy, academia, and industry to develop processes suitable for use in manufacturing and to evaluate the coatings for use in the marine environment. In 2000, the first nanostructured coating was qualified for use on gears of air-conditioning units for U.S. Navy ships. In 2001, the technology was selected to receive an R&D100 Award. DOD estimates that use of the coatings on air valves will result in a $20 million reduction in maintenance costs over 10 years. The development of wear-resistant coatings by the DOD is clearly allied with its mission, yet will lead to commercial applications that can extend the lifetime of moving parts in everything from personal cars to heavy industrial machinery.
Future Applications
The pharmaceutical and chemical industries are being impacted greatly by nanotechnology. New commercial applications of nanotechnology that are expected in two to five years in these and other industries include:
Advanced drug delivery systems, including implantable devices that automatically administer drugs and sensor drug levels; Medical diagnostic tools, such as cancer tagging mechanisms and lab-on-a-chip, real time diagnostics for physicians; Cooling chips or wafers to replace compressors in cars, refrigerators, air conditioners and multiple other devices, utilizing no chemicals or moving parts; Sensors for airborne chemicals or other toxins; Photovoltaics (solar cells), fuel cells and portable power to provide inexpensive, clean energy, and New high-performance and smart materials.
Its hard to predict what products will move from the laboratory to the marketplace over longer periods, but it is believed that nanotechnology will facilitate the production of ever-smaller computers that store vastly greater amounts of information and process data much more quickly than those available today. Computing elements are expected to be so inexpensive that they can be in fabrics (for smoke detection, for instance) and other materials.
Are there any safety or environmental issues with the nanotechnologies in use today?
Concerns have been raised regarding potential health and environmental effects of the passive nanostructures termed "nanoparticles." Regulatory agencies and standards bodies are beginning to look at these issues, though significantly more funding for these efforts is required. See the website for the International Council for Nanotechnology (http://icon.rice.edu/).