Various applications

In nanotechnology
- Recent trends

Name : Raju Banne

 ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology has generated a great deal of excitement
world-wide and is being cited as the key technology of the 21st
century. Nanotechnology is an engineering of functional systems at
the molecular level, covers a broad range of topics and is focused on
controlling and exploiting the structure of matter on a large scale
below 100 nanometers. Nanotechnology is the future of advanced
development. It is everything today from clothes to foods there are
every sector in its range we should promote it more for our future
and for more developments in our current life. In this paper we have
discussed the concept of Nanotechnology along with its history,
applications, risks and development of nanotechnology in India.

WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY?
Manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular and
supramolecular scale,with atleast one dimension sized from 1
to 100 nm.
HISTORY OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
The history of nanotechnology traces the development of
the cocepts and expiremental work falling under the broad
category of nanotechnology. The emergence of
nanotechnology in 1980’s was caused by the convergence of
experimental advances such as the invention of the scanning
tunneling microscope in 1981 and the discovery of fullerenes
in 1985 , In the early 2000’s commercial application of
nanotechnology were grown .
THE PRESENT NANOTECHNOLOGY
It seems that nanotechnology has begun to blossom in the
last ten years, this is largely due to the development of new
instruments that allow researchers to observe and manipulate
matter at the nanolevel. Technologies such as scanning
tunneling microscopy, magnetic force microscopy, and
electron microscopy allow scientists to observe events at the
atomic level. At the same time, economic pressures in the
electronics industry have forced the development of new
lithographic techniques that continue the steady reduction in
feature size and cost. Just as Galileo’s knowledge was limited
by the technology of his day, until recently a lack of good
instrumentation prevented scientists from gaining more
knowledge of the nanoscale.
As better instrumentation for observing, manipulating and
measuring events at this scale are developed, further advances
in our understanding and ability will occur. Currently,
scientists find two nano-size structures of particular interest:
nanowires and carbon nanotubes.
Nanowires are wires with a very small diameter, sometimes
as small as 1 nanometer. Scientists hope to use them to build
tiny transistors for computer chips and other electronic
devices. In the last couple of years, carbon nanotubes have
overshadowed nanowires. We're still learning about these
structures, but what we've learned so far is very exciting.
 A carbon nanotube is a nano-size cylinder of carbon
atoms. Imagine a sheet of carbon atoms, which would look
like a sheet of hexagons. If you roll that sheet into a tube,
you'd have a carbon nanotube. Carbon nanotube properties
depend on how you roll the sheet. In other words, even though
all carbon nanotubes are made of carbon, they can be very
different from one another based on how you align the
individual atoms.

Fig. 1. carbon nanotubes

Fig. 2.structure of graphene

NANOMATERIALS
A. Nanoceramic Powders – Nanoceramic powders constitute
an important segment of the whole nanostructured materials. –
Constitute more than 50% of the total nanostructured
materials.
B. Nanotubes – Conductors or semiconductors – Strong
materials with good thermal conductivity
C. Nanocomposites – Generally polymer based with nanosized
fillers
• Nanoceramics are available commercially in the form of dry
powders or liquid dispersions.
• The most commercially important nanoceramic materials are
simple metal oxides, silica (SiO2), titania (TiO2), alumina
(Al2O3), iron oxide (Fe3O4, Fe2O3), zinc oxide (ZnO), ceria
(CeO2) and zircona (ZrO2). • Silica and iron oxide
nanoparticles have a commercial history spanning half a
century or more
• Of increasing importance are the mixed oxides and titanates
– indium-tin oxide (In2O3-SnO2 or ITO) – antimony-tin oxide
(ATO), – barium titanate (BaTiO3).
• Nanocrystalline titania, zinc oxide, ceria, ITO, and other
oxides have more recently entered the marketplace.
APPLICATIONS
Nanotechnology, being an interdisciplinary field, has three
main extensively overlapping areas: Nanoelectronics,
nanomaterials and nanobiotechnology which find applications
in materials, electronics, environment, metrology, energy,
security, robotics, healthcare, information technology,
biomimetics, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, agriculture,
construction, transport, and food processing and storage.
A. Nanobiotechnology
Drug delivery New formulations for drug and gene therapies
Tissue engineering Reproduction and repair of damaged
tissues using nanomaterial based scaffolds.
B. Nanotechnology and medical applications
Development of newer drug delivery systems based on
nanotechnology methods is being tried for conditions like
cancer, diabetes, fungal infections, viral infections and in gene
therapy. The main advantages of this modality of treatment are
targeting of the drug and enhanced safety profile.
Nanotechnology has also found its use in diagnostic medicine
as contrast agents, fluorescent dyes and magnetic
nanoparticles.
Carbon-based Nanomaterials such as Carbon
Nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are essentially elongated
molecules, formed entirely from carbon atoms.
The property currently under research is their ability to
elongate or contract in suitable electrolytes under very low
voltages which may render them very useful as actuators or
sensors in a variety of medical devices. Other potentially
valuable characteristics are their possible use as sensors, e.g.
for CO2 monitoring in anaesthesiology.
Nanowires.
Nanowires differ from nanotubes in that they have no inner
cavity. Semiconducting siliconbased nanowires are showing
promise for the detection of viruses in solution and their
capabilities in such applications may exceed those of other
methods.
Nanoporous Materials.
Nanoporous materials, e.g. of carbon-, silicon-, ceramic- or
polymer-based materials, with holes in the region of 100nm
have greatly increased surface area and can have extremely
useful catalytic, adsorbent and absorbent properties. These
may have valuable applications in implant technology or in
drug delivery.
Nanocoated surgical blades. By means of nanoparticulate
coatings onto specially prepared hard metal substrates,e.g.
plasma polished diamond nanolayers, it is possible to
manufacture surgical blades of extreme sharpness and low
friction that are highly suited to optical- and neurosurgery.
Needles.
Nanocoated needles are now available for very fine suturing
in demanding applications .Such needles have good ductility,
exceptional strength and corrosion resistance.
Catheters for minimally invasive surgery.
Nanomaterials, e.g. carbon nanotubes, have been successfully
added to catheters used in minimally invasive surgery to
increase their strength and flexibility and reduce their
thrombogenic effect.
In-vitro Diagnostics. The area of in-vitro diagnostic medical
devices is one of great growth and potential for
nanotechnology. The development of micro- and nanofluidic
systems allows for the use of tiny mounts of analyte and the
degree of miniaturisation possible will allow for the
development of true “lab-on-a-chip” devices capable of
simultaneously carrying out dozens, or even hundreds, of
analyses in virtually real time. Linked to other devices, this
will allow for continuous monitoring of the patient’s condition
and variations in treatment, e.g. drug delivery, to take account
of the patient’s actual needs.
Optical Nanosurgery. Nanotechnological tools such as
“optical tweezers” and “nanoscissors” can be used at the
cellular level for cell manipulation and immobilisation.
Essentially these devices use the forces arising from the
momentum of, for example, laser light at particular tuned
wavelengths to precisely reposition minute objects by steering
the laser beam. This opens up the possibility of medical or
surgical procedures at the cellular level.
Applications in electronics
The semiconductor industry has been able to improve the
performance of electronic systems for more than four decades
by downscaling silicon-based devices but this approach will
soon encounter its physical and technical limits.This fact,
together with increasing requirements for performance,
functionality, cost, and portability have been driven the
microelectronics industry towards the nano world and the
search for alternative materials to replace silicon. Carbon
nanomaterials such as onedimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes
and twodimensional (2D) graphene have emerged as
promising options due to their superior electrical properties
which allow for fabrication of faster and more power-efficient
electronics.
PRODUCTS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
A. Smart drugs—cancer treatments A good deal of research,
involving a variety of different nanotechnologies, is being
devoted to cancer detection and cure. One of the main goals of
using nanotechnology for medical purposes is to create
devices that can function inside the body and serve as drug
delivery systems with specific targets. Current treatments for
cancer using radiation and chemotherapy are invasive and
produce debilitating side effects. These treatments kill both
cancerous and healthy cells.
Nanotechnology has the potential to treat various forms of
cancer by targeting only the cancer cells.
B. Complex materials—a super-adhesive The gecko’s ability
to stick to surfaces and walk up walls with ease has led
researchers to design materials that can mimic the microscopic
elastic hairs that line this animal’s feet. Using carbon
nanotubes, Liangti Qu and colleagues at the University of
Dayton (Ohio) have created a material that has an adhesive
force about 10 times stronger than that of a gecko’s foot.
These carbon nanotube materials have a much stronger
adhesion force parallel to the surface they are on than that
perpendicular to the surface. The result is a material that can
be used to attach a heavy weight to a vertical surface, and yet
be peeled off with ease. And just as a gecko is able to walk up
vertical surfaces with ease, the material opens up the
possibility of creating clothing that will enable humans to
achieve the same feat.
Energy generation and use
New generations of nano-based sensors, catalysts and
materials have already resulted in major reductions in energy
use, and further progress is certain. The ConocoPhillips oil
company recently awarded a threeyear, $1.2 million grant to
the University of Kansas to research the use of
nanotechnology to enhance oil recovery catalyst. Nanoscales
and nanoporous membranes are, under some circumstances,
being used to facilitate production of biomass fuel. Energy
transmission could potentially be made much more efficient
by using engineered nanomaterials. Throughout the
renewable-energy sector, nanotechnology has the potential to
increase process efficiencies and process yields, decrease costs
and enable energy processes that would not be attainable any
other way. Nanotechnology is transforming photovoltaic cells
through the development of new and less expensive
manufacturing techniques and new methods of generating
high-surface-area structures, optimizing sensitivity and
increasing the spectral absorbency of the cells.
CONCLUSION
Nanotechnology has potential applications in many sectors
including paints and coatings, textiles and clothing, cosmetics,
food science, catalysis, etc. In addition, nanotechnology
presents new opportunities to improve how we measure,
monitor, manage. Nanotechnology has emerged as a growing
and rapidly changing field. New generations of nanomaterials
will evolve, and with them new and possibly unforeseen
issues. Nanotechnology is the future of advanced
development. It is everything today from clothes to foods there
are every sector in its range we should promote it more for our
future and for more developments in our current life.
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