THE NANO WORLD

•LESSON OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

• define nanotechnology;
• characterize nanoscale;
• describe the various uses of nanotechnology;
• discuss concerns on the use of nanotechnology; and
• explain the status of the use of nanotechnology in the Philippines.

•INTRODUCTION

Scientific researchers have developed new technological tools that greatly improve different
aspects of our lives. The use of nanoscale is one important interdisciplinary area generated by
advancement in science and technology. Scientists and engineers were able to build materials with
innovative properties as they manipulate nanomaterials. Indeed, research and application of
knowledge on nanomaterials will continue to bring widespread implications in various areas of the
society, especially health care, environment, energy, food, water, and agriculture.

Nanotechnology refers to the science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale,
which is about 1 to 100 nanometers (NNI, 2017). Nanoscience and nanotechnology employs the study
and application of exceptionally small things in other areas of science including materials science,
engineering, physics, biology, and chemistry (NNI, 2017).

The concepts of nanotechnology and nanoscience started in December 29, 1959 when Physicist
Richard Feynman discussed a method in which scientists can direct and control individual atoms and
molecules in his talk "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" during the American Physical Society
meeting at the California Institute of Technology. The term "nanotechnology" was coined by Professor
Norio Taniguchi a decade after the dawn of the use of ultraprecision machining (NNI, 2017).

How Small is a Nanoscale?

A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or 10% of a meter. The illustration below shows how small
nanoscale is compared to other particles or materials.
 Manipulation of nanomaterials needs an adept understanding of their types and dimensions. The
various types of nanomaterials are classified according to their individual shapes and sizes. They may
be particles, tubes, wires, films, flakes, or shells that have one or more nanometer-sized dimensions.
One should be able to view and manipulate them so that we can take advantage of their exceptional
characteristics.

How to View Nanomaterials

Scientists use special types of microscopes to view minute nanomaterials. During the early
1930s, scientists used electron microscopes and field microscopes to look at the nanoscale. The
scanning tunneling microscope and atomic force microscope are just among the modern and
remarkable advancements in microscopy.

1. Electron microscope
German engineers Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll built the first electron microscope during the
1930s. This type of microscope utilizes a particle beam of electrons to light up a specimen and
develop a well-magnified image. Electron microscopes produce higher and better resolution
than older light microscopes because they can magnify objects up to a million times while
conventional light microscopes can magnify objects up to 1,500 times only. Scanning electron
microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) are the two general types of
electron microscope.

2. Atomic force microscope (AFM)

It was first developed by Gerd Bing, Calvin Quate, and Christoph Gerber in 1986. It makes
use of a mechanical probe that gathers information from the surface of a material.

3. Scanning tunneling microscope

This special type of microscope enables scientists to view and manipulate nanoscale
particles, atoms, and small molecules. In 1986, Gerd Bing and Heinrich Rohrer won the Nobel
Prize in Physics because of this invention.

Nanomanufacturing

It refers to scaled-up, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing of nanoscale materials,

structures, devices, and systems. It also involves Research, improvement, and incorporation of
processes for the construction of materials. Therefore, nanomanufacturing leads to the development
of new products and improved materials. There are two fundamental approaches to
nanomanufacturing, either bottom-up or top-down (NNI, 2017):

1. Bottom-up fabrication
It manufactures products by building them up from atomic- and molecular-scale
components. However, this method can be time-consuming. Scientists and engineers are still
in search for effective ways of putting up together molecular components that self-assemble
and from the bottom-up to organized structures.
 2. Top-down fabrication
It trims down large pieces of materials into nanoscale. This process needs larger amounts
of materials and discards excess raw materials.

There are new approaches to the assembly of nanomaterials based from the application of
principles in top-down and bottom-up fabrication.
These include:
• Dip pen lithography
It is a method in which the tip of an atomic force microscope is "dipped" into a chemical
fluid and then utilized to "write" on a surface, like an old-fashioned ink pen onto paper.

• Self-assembly
It depicts an approach wherein a set of components join together to mold an organized
structure in the absence of an outside direction.

• Chemical vapor deposition

It is a procedure wherein chemicals act in response to form very pure, high-performance
films.

• Nanoimprint lithography
It is a method of generating nanoscale attributes by "stamping" or "printing" them onto a
surface.

• Molecular beam epitaxy

It is one manner for depositing extremely controlled thin films.

• Roll-to-roll processing
It is a high-volume practice for constructing nanoscale devices on a roll of ultrathin plastic
or metal.

• Atomic layer epitaxy

It is a means for laying down one-atom-thick layers on a surface.

With the use of these techniques, nanomaterials are made more durable, stronger, lighter, water-
repellent, ultraviolet- or infrared- resistant, scratch-resistant, electrically conductive, antireflective,
antifog, antimicrobial, self-cleaning, among others. The abovementioned characteristics lead to the
manufacture of the present variety of nanotechnology-enabled products such as tennis rackets and
baseball bats to catalysts for purifying crude oil and ultrasensitive recognition and classification of
biological and chemical toxins.

It is not impossible that in the near future, computers that are better, more efficient, with larger
storage of memory, faster, and energy- saving will be developed. Soon, the entire memory of a
computer will be saved in a single tiny chip. Moreover, nanotechnology has the potential to construct
high-efficiency, low-cost batteries and solar cells.

A product of nanomanufacturing: A
16-gauge wire, approximately 1.3
millimeters in diameter, made from
carbon nanotubes that were spun
into thread and the same wire on a
150-ply spool. (Source: Nanocomp).
Distinct Features of Nanoscale

Nanotechnology involves operating at a very small dimension and it allows scientists to make
use of the exceptional optical, chemical, physical, mechanical, and biological qualities of materials of
that small scale (NNI, 2017). The following are distinct features of nanoscale:

1. Scale at which much biology occurs.

Various activities of the cells take place at the nanoscale. The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
serves as the genetic material of the cell and is only about 2 nanometers in diameter.
Furthermore, the hemoglobin that transports oxygen to the tissues throughout the body is 5.5
nanometers in diameter.

A good number of modern researches focus on advancing procedures, therapies, tools,

and treatments that are more accurate and custom-made than traditional methods and cause
no adverse effects on the body.

An example of this is the bio-barcode assay, which is a fairly inexpensive approach for
identification of specific disease markers in the blood despite their small number in a particular
specimen.

2. Scale at which quantum effects dominate properties of materials.

Particles with dimensions of 1-100 nanometers have properties that are significantly
discrete from particles of bigger dimensions. Quantum effects direct the behavior and
properties of particles in this size scale. The properties of materials are highly dependent on
their size. Among the essential properties of nanoscale that change as a function of size include
chemical reactivity, fluorescence, magnetic permeability, melting point, and electrical
conductivity.

One example is the nanoscale gold, which is not only the yellow-colored element we are
used to seeing but it can also appear red or purple. Gold's electrons display restricted motion
in the nanoscale. Practically, nanoscale gold particles selectively build up in tumors, where they
permit both precise imaging and targeted laser destruction of the tumor while avoiding damage
on healthy cells.

Nanoscale materials have far larger surface areas than similar masses of larger-scale
materials. As we increase the surface area per mass of a particular material, a greater amount
of the material comes in contact with another material and can affect its reactivity.

If 1 cubic centimeter is filled with micrometer-sized cubes -a trillion (1012) of them, each
with a surface area of 6 square micrometers--the total surface area amounts to 6 square meters,
or about the area of the main bathroom in an average house. When that single cubic centimeter
of volume is filled with 1-nanometer-sized cubes --1021 of them, each with an area of 6 square
nanometers--their total surface area comes to 6,000 square meters.

The Effect of the

Increased Surface
Area Provided
by Nanostructured
Materials
Government Funding for Nanotechnology in Different
Countries (Dayrit, 2005)

1. U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative

o The best-known and most-funded program is the National Nanotechnology Initiative of
the United States. The NNI was established in 2001 to coordinate U.S. federal
nanotechnology R&D. The NNI budget in 2008 and 2009 were $1.4 billion and $1.5
billion, respectively.

2. European Commission
o In February 2008, the EC officially launched the European Nanoelectronics Initiative
Advisory Council (ENIAC).

3. Japan (Nanotechnology Research Institute, under the National Institute for Advanced Industrial
Science and Technology, AIST)

4. Taiwan (Taiwan National Science and Technology Program for Nanoscience and
Nanotechnology)

5. India (Nanotechnology Research and Education Foundation)

6. China (National Center for Nanoscience and Technology)

7. Israel (Israel National Nanotechnology Initiative)

8. Australia (Australian Office of Nanotechnology)

9. Canada (National Institute for Nanotechnology or NINT)

10. South Korea (Korea National Nanotechnology Initiative)

11. Thailand (National Nanotechnology Center or NANOTEC)

12. Malaysia (National [Malaysia] Nanotechnology Initiatives or NNI)

Possible Applications of Nanotechnology in the Philippines (Dayrit, 2005)

1. ICT and semiconductors

2. Health and medicine
3. Energy
4. Food and agriculture
5. Environment

Nanotech Roadmap for the Philippines (funded by PCAS-TRD-DOST)

1. CT and semiconductors
2. Health and biomedical
3. Energy
4. Environment
5. Agriculture and food
6. Health and environmental risk
7. Nano-metrology
 8. Education and public awareness

Benefits and Concerns of Using Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology has various applications in different sectors of the society and environment.
Salamanca-Buentello et al. (2005) proposed an initiative called "Addressing Global Challenges Using
Nanotechnology” to accelerate the use of nanotechnology to address critical sustainable development
challenges. They suggested a model that could help figure out the possible contributions of the
community in overcoming global challenges that pose risk on health and other aspects of peoples'
lives. However, there are concerns that need to be addressed before using and promoting materials
derived from nanotechnology (Dayrit,2005).

1. Nanotechnology is not a single technology; it may become pervasive.

2. Nanotechnology seeks to develop new materials with specific properties.
3. Nanotechnology may introduce new efficiencies and paradigms which may make some natural
resources and current practices uncompetitive or obsolete.
4. It may be complicated to detect its presence unless one has the specialist tools of
nanotechnology.

Table 1. Benefits and Concerns of the Application of Nanotechnology in Different Areas

Example of Areas
Affected by Possible Benefits Concerns
Nanotechnology
Environment • Improved detection and • High reactivity and toxicity
removal of • Pervasive distribution in the
contaminants environment
• Development of benign • No nano specific EPA
industrial processes regulation
and materials
Health • Improved medicine • Ability to cross cell membranes
and translocate in the body
• No FDA approval needed for
cosmetics or supplements

Economy • Better medicine • Redistribution of wealth

• New jobs • Potential cost of cleanups and
healthcare
• Accessibility to all income levels
(Source: University of Washington, n.d.)

Social and Ethical Considerations in Conducting Research on Nanotechnology

1. Who will benefit from it? On the other hand, who won't?
2. For whom and what are your objectives for developing your product?
3. How will it affect social, economic, and political relationships?
4. What problem is your "product" trying to solve?
5. Who will have access to it? Who will be excluded?
6. Are there dangers involved with its development (e.g., safety, health, pollution)? How can you
minimize them?
7. Who will own it? How can you assure access to it?
(Source: University of Washington, n.d.)
•SUMMARY

Nanotechnology is an advanced interdisciplinary field that encompasses science and technology

that manufactures materials of great help to the improvement of various areas of society especially
health care, environment, energy, food, water, and agriculture. It is a field that needs to be explored,
not only by known experts but also neophytes, in order to advance our knowledge of science and
technology, and more importantly, to help improve our quality of life. But, before we engage in
nanotechnology, we need to take into account the social, ethical, and environmental concerns of using
such nanomaterials.