NANOTECHNOLOGY

THE PAST,PRESENT AND FUTURE OF

NANOTECHNOLOGY )

Presented by M.D.HARISH ( 3rd year Mechanical Engg.) at M' Explore2K16, S.V.

UNIVERSITY,TIRUPATHI.
Abstract: This paper explains about
the nanotechnology and the most of
it focuses on history, principles
applications,
implications
of
nanotechnologies and development
that
is
achieved
till
now.
Nanotechnologies are being spoken
of as the driving force behind a new
industrial revolution. The world of
the future will be defined by how we
use this mastery. upto now, there is
no
inter
nationally
accepted
definition
of
nanotechnologies.
Inspite of the exact definition ,key
features in this field are combining
different sciences and technologies,
and technologies, enhanced or new
properties, new applications, all at
very
small
dimensions.
Nanotechnology is one of the very
frontiers of science today.
Prologue:
For the first time in human history,
we are close to able to manipulate
the basic forms of all things, living
and inanimate take them apart and
put them together in almost anyway
the
mind
can
imagine.
Nanotechnologies
are
worldwide
regarded as key technologies for
innovations
and
technological
progress in almost all branches of
economy. "Nanotechnology is an
enabling
technology
that
will
change the nature of almost every
humanmade object in the next
century. Nanotechnology includes
the field of solid state physics,
chemistry, electrical engineering,
chemical engineering, biochemistry,
biophysics and material science,

surface science, organic chemistry,

molecular biology, semiconductor
physics, micro fabrication etc..,
scientists currently debate the
future
implications
of
nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology
raises many of the same issues as
any new technology , including
concerns about the toxicity and
environmental
impacts
of
nanomaterials, and their potential
effects on global economics, as well
as
speculation
about
various
doomsday
scenarios.
These
concerns have led to a debate
among
advocacy
groups
and
governments on whether special
regulation of nanotechnology
Outlining
of
nanoscience
nanotechnology:

and

Nanoscience is not just science of

the
small
but
the
study
of
phenomena and manipulation of
materials at atomic,molecular and
macro molecular scales that exhibit
remarkable properties,functionality
which differ significantly from those
at larger scale and phenomena due
to influence of small dimensions.
Nanotechnology is the art and
science of manipulating matter at
nanosize .The U.S.National science
foundation defines it as "Research
and technology development at the
atomic
,molecular-macromolecular
level
in
the
length
scale
of
approximately
1-100
nanometer
range to provide a fundamental
understanding of phenomena and

material at the nano scale and to

create and use structures ,devices
and
system
that
have
novel
properties and function because of
their small and /or intermediate
size."
Origin
and
Nanotechnology:

History

of

Nanotechnology has its origin in the

properties of atoms or atomic
physics.much of the motivating
force
and
technology
for
nanotechnology came from the
integrated circuit industry. The
history of integrated chips is in a
sense the nanotechnology . One of
the first to describe this future
technology discipline was Dr.Richard
P.Feyman
Noble prize winner physicist Richard
Feyman
was
the
father
of
nanotechnology .The ideas and
concept behind nanoscience and
nanotechnology started with a talk
entitled.''there's plenty room at the
bottom'' by feyman at an american
physical society meeting at the
california institute of technology on
dec 29,1959,long before the term
nanotechnology was used.in his
talk, feyman described a process in
which scientists would be able to
manipulate and control individual
atoms and molecules over a decade
later in 1974 in his explorations of
ultraprecision machining , professor
norio taniguchi of tokyo university
coined the term nanotechnology
K.Eric drexler of MIT expanded
taniguchi's
definition
and
popularised nanotechnology in his
1986 book ''engines of creation: the
coming era of nanotechnology''

1981
the
scanning
tunnelimg
microscope(STM) and atomic force
microscope(AFM)
were
invented
gerd bining, heinrohrer and ruska at

IBM zurich research laboratory. they

were awarded the noble prize in
physics in 1986 for the invention of
these
amazing
tools
,which
practically opened the doors of the
nano-world
to
scientists.later
fullerenes were discovered in 1985.

FULLERENES
NANOTUBES:

AND

CARBON

in 1985 richard.E .smalley, harry

w.kroto and robert.f.curl discovered
a new form of the element carbon,
the
bucky
ball,
a
molecule
consisting of 60 atoms of carbon
(C60) assembled in a form similar to
football. the existence of C60 had
actually been predected by eiji
osawa of toyohashi university of
technology in a japanese magazine
in 1970.this new allotrope of carbon
was officially named buckminster
fullerene in honor of buckminister
fuller, an architect famous discovery
in 1985, various others fullerenes
were discovered. In 1996,krotocurl,
and smalley were awarded the
noble prize in chemistry. this led in
turn to 1991 discovery of related
molecular shape
known as the
''carbon nanotubes''
CARBON NANOTUBES:-

carbon nanotubes are molecular

scale tubes of graphitic carbon with
outstanding properties.

structurally , carbon nanotubes

are 100 times stronger than steel
and conduct electricity better than
cupper.

HOW SMALL IS NANO:-

one nanometer (nm) is 1 billionth,

or 10-9 of a meter

1.an allumnium can is perfectly

safe, but nanosize alluminium is
highly explosive and can be used to
make bombs.

1nm=10-9m
2.for instance,bulk silver is nontoxic,whereas silver nanoparticles
are capable of killing viruses upon
contact.

For Example:-

start with a centimeter which is

about the size of a bean. now divide
it into 10 equal parts. each part is a
millimeter long about the size of
flea. now divided that into 10 equal
parts.each part is 100 micrometers
long, resembles size (width) of the
human hair.now divided that into
100 equal parts.each part is a
micrometer long which is size of
bacterium. now divided it into 10
equal parts each part is 100
nanometers long that is size of a
virus. finally, divided that into 100
equal
parts
each
part
is
a
nanometer.about the size of a few
atoms or a small molecules.

DIFFERENCE
NANOSCALE:-

OF

MATERIAL

AT

materials at longer scale have

properties which is different form
that at nanoscale because of two
reasons.

Ratio of surface area volume of

structure increases- ( more atoms
are at or near the surface, wich
make them more weakly bonded
and more reactive )

quantum mechanical effects are

importent- ( below 50nm, laws of
classical
physics-give
way
to
quantum effects provoking optical,
electrical,
magnetic
and
even
biological at a large scale.
For Example:silver becoming a bactericide on a
nanoscale.
nano-sizing causes changed in: colour
crystal shape

melting points
conductivity

magnetism
chemical reactivity

NANOSCALE AND nanomaterial:NANOSCALE:any

condensed
matter systems whose at least one
(out of three ) dimension is of the
order
of
nanometer
can
be
considered at nanoscale system.
larger than nanoscale is the
microscale and smaller than that is
the atomic scale.
the
nanometer
scale
conventionally defined at 10
100nm.
NANOMATERIAL:-

For Example:-

is
to

a nanomaterial is an object that has

at least one dimension in the
nanometer scale ( approximately 1
to 100nm ).
nanomaterials can be of two types:''non-intentionally made/ natural
nanomaterials'' which refers to
nano-sized
particles
or
materials.that belong naturally to
the
environment
(eg:nanoparticles
produced
from
diesel
combustion )
''
intentionally
made/artifical
nanomaterials'' which refers to
nanomaterials
produced
deliberately
through
a
defined
fabrication
process.these
are
classified into 4 types:

carbon
based
fullerenes ( sperical
nano
materials
nanotubes(
nanomaterials )

materials:/ellipsoidal
),carbon
cylindrical

metal based materials:- quantum

dots,nanogold,nanosilver&metaloxi
des such as titanium oxide
dendrimers:- nanosized polymers
built
from
branched
units(3D
dendrimers-useful for drug delivery)
composites:combine
nanoparticles
with
other
nanoparticles are with larger,bulk
type materials(ex:nanosized clays
added to products ranging from
autoparts to packaging materials to
enhance
mechanical,
thermal,
barrier&flame-retardant properties
some good
materials:-

examples

of

nano

our finger nails grow at the rate of

1nm per sec
a human hair is about 80000nm
wide
a DNA molecule is 1-2nm wide;

the transistor of a latest processor

is 45nm
a red blood cell is approx. 7000nm
wide
a water molecule almost 0.3nm

NANOSTRUCTURES IN NATURE:-

many plants &animals around us

devoloped.special features that are
nanoscale level.
a moth's eye as very small bumps
on it's surface-hexagonal shape-few
hundred nanometre tall &apartthese patterns smaller than visible
light wavelength(350-800nm-due to
that surface has low reflectance of
visible light but absorb more lightso thet can see much better in dim
or dark conditions than humans-in
the lab,scientists have used similar
manmade
nano
structures
to
enhance the absorption of infra-red
light(heat)in a type of power
source(a thermo voltaic cell) to
make them more efficient
for instance the wings of the male
morpho
rhetenor(butterfly)appear
bright blue but the wing material is
not,infact blue it's just appears blue
because
of
particular
nanostructures on the surface.the
nano structures on the butterfly's
wings are about the samesize as the
wavelength
of
visible
light
&because of multi layer nanoscale
patterns,interference(constructive&
desstructive interference)so we see
a very bright blue color.in the
lab,many scientific instruments use
same phenomenon to analyze the
color of light.
the
edelweiss(leontopodium
nivale)is an alpine flower which
lives at high at altitudes upto

3000m/1000ft.where UV radiation is
strong.the flowers are covered with
thin hallow filaments that have
nanoscale structures(100-200nm)on
their periphery.they will absorb uvlight,which wavelength is around
the
same
dimension
as
the
filaments,but
reflect
all
visible
light.this explains the white color of
the flowers.because the layer of the
filaments absorbs uv-light,it also
protects the flower's cells from
possible damage due to this high
energy radiations.
OVERVIEW
OF
THE
NANOMATERIALS:-

NATURAL

a short list of the nanomaterials

follows

insect wings and opales

spirder silk:silk is the material with
the greatest known strength-about
5times that of steel of the same
weight.the extrordinary properties
of spider silk are due to the
proteins.that makes up silk(mainly
fibrion)and it's super molecular org.
which is at the nanoscale level.

lotus
leaves
similar(nasturtium).

and

gecko's(lizard) feet-does'nt secrete

any sticky substance and it's feet do
not
have
any
suction-like
features(even
at
microscopic
sizes).but it walk on smooth or
rough even upside down on glass
surface.

nanoparticles
from
natural
erossion & volcanic activity.
minerals such as clays
natural
colloidssuch
as
milk,blood(liquid
colloids),fog(aerosol
type),gelatin(gel
type):in
these
materials
,nanoparticles
are
dispersed in the medium(liquid or
gas)but do not form a solution
rather a colloid

BIOMIMETICS:- the feild of materials

engg.devoted to trying to fabricate
artificial
materials
that
mimic
natural
ones
in
conventionally
called biomimetics.nanoscience is a
fundamental
component
of
biomimetics.
HOW
DO
NANOSTRUCTURES:

WE

SEE

mineralized natural materials

such as shells,corals &bones

nanostructures are invisible to our

human eyes.they are resolved with
the help of microscopic instruments.

materials
like
skin,claws,beaks,feathers,horns,hai
r

optical(light
----resolution 250nm

)microscope

paper and cotton-both made mainly

in
cellulose-high
strength,durability&absorbency
of
cotton
are
due
to
nanoscale
arrangement of the fibres

electron
microscope(EM)---resolution 0.1nm

2.transmision
microscopy(TEM)

scanning probe
resolution 1 nm

electron

high quality electron

microscopes can cost from $ 250000
-$ 1000000

types: 1. scannig electron

microscopy(SEM)
microscopes----

types 1.scanning tunneling

microscopes(STM)

2.atomic force
microscopes(AFM)
APPLICATIONS
NANATECHNOLOGY:

OF

agricuture:devolope
nanotechnical materials to increase
soil fertility & crop production.
help eliminates malnutrition

for devoloping countries,the experts

reckon
top
nanotechnology
applications are

nanosensors to monitor health of

crops.

space science:-

magnetic nanoparticles to remove

soil contaminants.

improvement in shuttles

water treatment:

much lighter in weight &

smaller size

nanomembranes and nano clays.

micro and nano-rovers for

planetary exploitation
benefits to astronauts:
space suits

food(preservation&protection
food ,lighter foods)

nano
of

titaniumoxide
and
magnetic
nanoparticlesthat
decompose
organic pollutants,remove salts and
heavy metals from liquids(H20)
drug
delivery
system:nano
capsules,dendrimers,"bucky balls"for slow,sustained drug
release
system.
food processing and storage:-

cheaper space flights

will be 90% lighter

plastic film coating for food

packaging and storage.nanotechbased sensors to detect and identify
contamination.

with much greater strength

air pollutiopn remediation:-

nanosatellites

nanotech based innovations

energy conversion:nanotechnologicalmaterials
solar cells & fuel cells

in

nanomaterials can be used to

improve the capacity of batteries.

destroy air pollutant with

light.
reduce fossil fuel emission.
seperate gasses.

solar plastics.
nanotechnologicalmaterials
are
superconducting
at
temperatures.

detect toxic materials and

which
room

nanoscale powders.
synthetic
nano
membranes
embedded with protiens are capable
of turning light into chemical enrgy.

leaks.
disease vector and pest detection
control:nanoscale
sensor
detection
and
pesticides,insectisides
repellents.

for
pest
improved
andinsect

Few examples of manufactured

nanomaterials
that
are
of
commercial interest:

risks
from
the
EXAMPLES FOR USEenvironmental
release of
nanoparticles into the
environment,

TYPE
Metal oxides
silica(si02)
titania(ti02)
alluminia(al203)
iron
oxide(fe3o4,fe3o3)
zirconia(zro2)
zinc dioxide(ZNo2)
FULLERENCES
C60

safety
risks from nanoparticles for
additives for polymer
composites
UV-A protection workers and consumers,
Solar cells
futuristic
risks
like
human
Pharmacy/medicine
enhancement
and
self
replications
Additives
for
scratch
resistance
of
nano
machines.
coatings
HAZARDS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY:-

Carbon nanotubes
single-wall
carbon
nanotubes
multiwall
nanotubes

carbon

Compound
semiconductors
CdTe
GaAs
Organic
nanoparticles
Metals
Au
Ag
Ni

Mechanical
and
nanomaterials are
chemically more
trbologicalapplications/additives
to
reactive-so used as catalyst.
grease
ex:gold
or
platinum-catalyse
additives
for
polymer
chemical
reactions
in nano powder
composites(mechanical
form.
performance,conductivity)
electron feild emitters
nanoparticles generally are more
batteries
toxic
when
incorporated
into
fuel cells
humanbody than larger particles of
the same materials.
electronic an optical devices
as pointed out in review article by
Hoet
in
the
"journal
of
nanobiotechnology" most nanosized
spherical
solid materials will easily
micronised drugs and
chemical
enter
the
lungs and reach the
(vitamins,pigments,pharmaceuticals)
alveoli inhaled particles can have
polymer dispersions
two major effects of human body.
catalytic applications
induce
inflammation
in
the
optoelectronics
respiratory
tract,causing
tissue
wound dressings
damage.

RISKS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY:
business
risks
marketing
of
enabled products,

risks
regarding
privacy
when
miniature
sensors
become
ubiquitous,

involved
with
nanotechnology

risks related to the protection of

intellectual property,
political risks regarding the impact
on the economical devolopement of
countries and regions,

transport
through
the
blood
stream to other
vital organs or
tissues of the body.this may result
in cardiovascular and other extra
pulmonary effects.
so, we must be aware of the
consequences of the nanoparticles
& must take necessary stage to
detect
the
exposure
of
nanoparticles into the environment.
THE CURRENT STATE AND FUTURE
OF NANOTECHNOLOGY:

The nanomaterials at present and

it's uses:
World's smallest mobile robot,with
no
wheels,gears
or
hinged
joints(using nanotechnology)
Iron nanoparticles-clean poisons
from water and heavy metals from
soil
gold nano particles-coated with
anti-bodies and which fluoresce and
heat up,can track and destroy
cancer cells.
Carbon nanotube(CNT) transistor
for future computer chips.
Flat panel displays using carbon
nanotubes as mini electron emitters
instead of CRT'S.
Si or Ge nanowire batteries holding
10times the charge of existing
lithium-ion batteries.
"IN FUTURE WE MAY EXPECT
THAT TECHNOLOGY WILL APPEAR AT
ATOMIC SPECIFICATION"

ADVANTAGES
OF
NANOTECHNOLOGY:suitability
production.

for

low,high

reduced size,mass
consumption.

and

THE

volume

power

high functionality.
impoved
robustness.

reliability

and

nanotechnology
make
almost
every
manufactured
product
faster,lighter,stronger,safer
and
cleaner and even more precise.
DISADVANTAGES
NANOTECHNOLOGY:-

OF

THE

the biggest disadvantage is that

NANOTECHNOLOGY is actually very
expensive,so not everyone can buy
it or afford it.
its also very hard to create,and
just a single molecule of powder or
dust can damage the whole thing
while it is being created/formed.
atomic weapons would become
more destructive and hazardous.
the risk of inhaling,this could be
very dangerous,due to which it can
be a cause of death.
CONCLUSION:the application of "NANOSCIENCE TO
PRACTICAL DEVICE"
is called
NANOTECHNOLOGY.
NANOTECHNOLOGY-the science is
good,the engineering is feasible,the
paths of approach are many,the
consequences are
revolutionarytimes-revolutionary,and
the
schedule is : in our lifetimes.
So,nanotechnology should be used
in a betterway for devolopment of
the world and must also be aware of
the consequences of it.