Welcome to the world of nanotechnology -
technology capable of fulfilling our every need (almost) . However, you may have a few unanswered questions. Maybe you’ve heard it described as “The Next Industrial Revolution” on the news followed by some business commentary. Maybe you’re a Will Smith fan and saw his 2004 movie I, Robot, where “nanites” save the day, dismantling the main computer from the inside. Other than a financial topic or clever plot device
what is nanotechnology (exactly) ?
Do I neednanotechnology ?
Do I neednanotechnology ?
Nanotechnology is the science and technology of small things – in particular, things that are
less than 100nm in size. One nanometer is 10-9 meters or about 3 atoms long. For comparison, a human hair is about 60-80,000 nanometers wide.
Scientists have discovered that materials at small dimensions—small particles, thin films, etc—can have significantly different properties than the same materials at larger scale. There are thus endless possibilities for improved devices, structures, and materials if we can understand these differences, and learn how to control the assembly of small structures.
Nanostructures—objects with nanometer scale features—are not new and they were not first created by man. There are many examples of nanostructures in nature in the way that plants and animals have evolved. Similarly there are many natural nanoscale materials, such as catalysts, porous materials, certain minerals, soot particles, etc., that have unique properties particularly because of the nanoscale features. In the past decade, innovations
in our understanding of nanotechnology have enabled us to begin to understand and control these structures and properties in order to make new functional materials and devices. We have entered the era of engineered nanomaterials and devices
Unique Properties of Nanomaterials
Nanotechnology combines solid state physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, biochemistry, biophysics, and materials science. It is thus a highly interdisciplinary area – integrating ideas and techniques from a wide array of traditional disciplines. Some universities have begun to issue degrees in nanotechnology; others view it as a portion of existing academic areas. Either way many trained scientists, engineers, and technicians in these areas will be required in the next 30 years. Many are predicting that nanotechnology is the next technical revolution and products resulting from it will affect all areas of our economy and lifestyle. It is estimated that by 2015 this exciting field will need 7 million workers worldwide. The workforce will come from all areas of science and engineering and will include those with two-year technical degrees up to PhD researchers in universities and industry
Nanotechnology Careers: What is the Workforce Need ?
As nanoscale science and technology come to have increasing impacts on many aspects of our daily lives, the opportunities for careers in these fields are expanding rapidly. A major challenge for the field is the education and training of a new generation of skilled workers. Nanotechnology job projections are estimated to be nearly two million workers worldwide by 2015. In what countries will these jobs occur? (In addition to the figures below, nanotechnology will create another five million jobs worldwide in support fields and industries.) • 0.8-0.9 million – USA
• 0.5-0.6 million – Japan
• 0.3-0.4 million – Europe
• 0.2 million – Asia Pacific (excluding Japan)
What Type of Education is Needed for a Career in Nanotechnology?
Nanoscale phenomena underlie many of the properties and interactions of matter, and thus the sciences of physics, chemistry, and biology, as well as mathematics and computer sciences. Studying these fields, and paying attention to the developments in nanoscience that advance them and the applications in nanotechnology that they support, can provide you with a solid foundation for any of a broad range of careers. Potential fields of study include: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Agricultural Science, Engineering, Medicine, Forensic Science, Law, Business, & Ethics. Not everyone working in the field will require a doctorate degree in one of the fields noted above. A skilled workforce trained at a variety of levels is needed to meet the projected workforce challenge of 7 million workers. The table below indicates level of degree, the estimated time to completion for a full-time student after receiving a high school diploma, and then the expected salaries for work in nanotechnology .
Where are the Career Areas?
Career areas as diverse as designing medical diagnostic devices to building better batteries, creating cosmetics, enhancing energy-efficient windows, auto and plane manufacturing, or researching the nature of matter itself will all depend upon knowledge of nanoscale science and technology. Current applications of nanoscale science and technology, with corresponding career opportunities, exist in areas such as:
- Electronics/semiconductor industry Medical fields Automobile industry
- Pharmaceuticals including drug
- delivery, cosmetics, among others
- Materials science including textiles,
- polymers, packaging, among other
- Environmental monitoring and
- control
- Biotechnology Sports equipment Optoelectronics
- Forensics Food science: quality / packaging Aerospace industry
- Military National security University and federal lab research
Nanoscale science and technology are fueling a revolution in manufacturing and production, creating new materials and novel processes. Not only will the areas listed above continue to grow and benefit from nanotechnology, but the following fields are expected to undergo explosive developments:
• Medicine: diagnostics and therapeutics (e.g., drug delivery)
• Energy: capture, storage, & use; fuel cells, batteries
• Environmental remediation: in conjunction with GM microbes
• Robotics: many uses
• Manufacturing: self-assembly; “bottom-up” fabrication of novel materials
• Commerce: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) “smart” tags
• Space exploration: space elevator
As these lists of nanoscience-based applications indicate, our world is increasingly dependent on science for food, shelter, energy, etc. For our democratic society to function effectively, citizens must become familiar with at least some basic science and, perhaps even more importantly, with thinking scientifically.
Some Products with Nanotechnology
Sunscreen - Many sunscreens contain nanoparticles of zinc oxide or titanium oxide. Older sunscreen formulas use larger particles, which is what gives most sunscreens their whitish color. Smaller particles are less visible, meaning that when you rub the sunscreen into your skin, it doesn't give
you a whitish tinge.
Self-cleaning glass - A company called Pilkington offers a product they call Active Glass, which uses nanoparticles to make the glass photocatalytic and hydrophilic. The photocatalytic effect means that when UV radiation from light hits the glass, nanoparticles become energized and begin to break down and loosen organic molecules on the glass (in other words, dirt). Hydrophilic means that when water makes contact with the glass, it spreads across the glass evenly, which helps wash the glass clean.
Clothing - Scientists are using nanoparticles to enhance your clothing. By coating fabrics with a thin layer of zinc oxide nanoparticles, manufacturers can create clothes that give better protection from UV radiation. Some clothes have nanoparticles in the form of little hairs or whiskers that help repel water and other materials, making the clothing stain-resistant.
In the clothing world, we have pants that repel water and won’t stain shirts and shoe inserts that keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and nano socks that don’t “stink” due to the inclusion of nanotech materials (nanosized sliver particles). Nano-ceramic coatings are being utilized on photo quality picture paper to deliver sharper, higher quality “homemade” digital photo reproductions on your ink jet printer. How about that DVD you watched last night? Any idea how big the features on that now ubiquitous product are? DVD “bumps” to store information are 320 nanometers wide
Scratch-resistant coatings - Engineers discovered that adding aluminum silicate nanoparticles to scratch-resistant polymer coatings made the coatings more effective, increasing resistance to chipping and scratching. Scratch-resistant coatings are common on everything from cars to eyeglass lenses
Antimicrobial bandages - Scientist Robert Burrell created a process to manufacture antibacterial bandages using nanoparticles of silver. Silver ions block microbes' cellular respiration [source: Burnsurgery.org]. In other words, silver smothers harmful cells, killing them.
New products incorporating nanotechnology are coming out every day. Wrinkle-resistant fabrics, deep-penetrating cosmetics, liquid crystal displays (LCD) and other conveniences using nanotechnology are on the market. Before long, we'll see dozens of other products that take advantage of nanotechnology ranging from Intel microprocessors to bio-nanobatteries, capacitors only a few nanometers thick. While this is exciting, it's only the tip of the iceberg as far as how nanotechnology may impact us in the future.
Thanks For Reading and WELCOME IN NANO WORLD
Source : Wikipedia ,Nano.gov ,foresight.org ,nano for dummies etc
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