Nanotechnology's potential applications in medicine and industry

Promise of Nanotechnology

Designing and developing products at the molecular level offers a wide range of choices that could be beneficially harnessed for a wide variety of applications. Nanotechnology offers an entirely new dimension of medical diagnostics and drug delivery and a quantum leap in computing power. There is no question of doubt that the frontier of nanotechnology would develop fast and become the way of the future.

Nanotechnology is the familiar buzzword now with researchers representing varied scientific domains working on perfecting the science of molecular assembling. The term, first coined in 1974 by japanese professor Norio taniguichi, has now developed into a science in itself with potential applications in fields as diverse as medicine, synthetic and environmental chemistry, to aerospace and defense industry. [Edwards, 2006, pg. 2]the rapid advancements in technologies such as electron microscope, scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopes, and other technologies which allow probing at the atomic and molecular level, have contributed to the significant strides achieved in nanotechnology. Already more than 500 nanotechnology-based consumer products are available on the market in the fields of cosmetics, personal care, food and clothing and it is expected that by 2014 around $2.6 trillion worth of manufactured goods incorporating nanotechnology would be available in the global market. [Diane Greer] in the field of medical diagnostics and treatment as well nanotechnology has huge potential and already significant developments are in place. However, mention should also be made that sceptisicsm pertaining to the potential negative effects of nanotechnology also abound, particularly in the wake of the recent mishaps suffered in GM cropping. A brief overview of this fast developing science would help us better understand its prospects.

Nanotechnology (Molecular Manufacturing)

Nanotechnology is defined as the science that deals with the processing and manufacturing at the molecular level. One nanometer is 60,000 times smaller in diameter compared to the human hair or equivalent to the size of six aligned carbon atoms. [Edwards, 2006, pg.2]. Perfecting the assembly of a nanofactory would make it possible to build highly efficient products from molecules that are manipulated and assembled inside the nanomachinery using molecular tools. Since carbon combines with other elements in different combinations resulting in more than 16 million different compounds the ability to control bonding at molecular level offers great possiblities. Thus, using a nanoasembly, it is possible to create diamond from carbon atoms, prosthetic limbs without immune reactions, or transistors from nanoscale organic or inorganic material. The possibilites are literally endless. The following are some of the potential medical, technological and environmental applications of nanotechnology.

Electronics

Nanotechnology will usher a quantum leap in computing. In fact, with nanotechnology quantum computing will be a reality very soon. Computers based on nanowires or nanotubes would have super-computing power but still be handheld. Carbon nanotubes are highly conductive and are better than copper. They also have semi-conducting properties. Thus far, the realization of building nanoscale electronic circuits using carbon nanotubes had been a problem. However, researchers at Caltech have already designed and built 'nanowire-based circuits'. Dr. Hongjie Dai, professor at Stanford University says "the move to CMOS with nanowires is important if nanowires are to be used for future electronics applications." [Kevin Bullis]

Green Nano

Environmental considerations are at the center of our growing world and nano technology offers the promise of not only environment friendly production but also the possibility of environmental decontamination using engineered nanospheres. Recent research by Lehigh University has attested that nanoscale iron could clean up groundwater and contaminated soil by as much as 96%. Nanospehres or molecular cages can be designed to trap environmentally toxic substances with promises of environmental decontamination. [Eva Gutierrez]

Aerospace

Carbon nanotubes are the focus of aerospace industry because of their special electrical and mechanical properties. They are 100 times stronger than steel at one sixth the weight. Several studies have shown that carbon nanotubes are ideal building material because of their high tensile strength and low weight. Further, the high conductive nature of carbon nanotubes makes them highly suitable for aviation electronics. [Belluccia et.al] as Dr. Bourne, from the NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences (NRC-SIMS) in Ottawa says, "If we can show that these carbon nanotube composites can perform as expected in these applications, then this will go a long way to validating their use in the really big market - aerospace." [NRC]

Conclusion

Nanotechnology represents a huge wave in the world of science and technology with its applications extending into multiple domains. Designing and developing products at the molecular level offers a wide range of choices that could be beneficially harnessed for a variety of applications. Nanotechnology offers an entirely new dimension of medical diagnostics and drug delivery promising a new ray of hope for patients with chronic conditions that have poor prognosis with conventional therapy. The field of electronics is also bound to witness a huge leap with the nanoscale circuits resulting in the possibility of handheld supercomputers in the near future. In future, we might be able to mass-produce carbon nanotubes which would create a great revolution in the electronics and aerospace industries. There is still plenty of research to be done before embracing nanotechnology, as it is not without potential downsides as we have witnessed in the case of the GM crops. However, despite these challenges, it is hoped that the frontier of nanotechnology would develop fast and become the way of the future.