NANOTECHNOLOGY

“Nanotechnology” is a collective term that defines the technological proceedings at a nanometric scale. Nanotechnology represents any technology whose finite result is of nanometric order: fine particles, chemical synthesis, advanced microlithography. More specifically, nanotechnology is any technology that is based on the ability to build complex structures that respect atomic specifications by using mechanical synthesis. Nanometric structures are not only very small (reaching the atomic scale during their manufacturing), but they also have some very special and unexpected properties, in comparison with the same substance viewed from a macroscopic level.

Doctors often have to deal with cases in which they need to perform complex microsurgeries to repair blood vessels, for tissue transplants or for the re-attachment of amputated limbs. Because these procedures are very complicated, surgery is rarely the optimal procedure because it is too invasive. However, in the near future the medical domain will adapt and will employ nanotechnology methods that will allow even the most difficult tasks to be performed by remotely controlled robotic mechanisms.

At the Tonhuku University (Japan), eng. Kazushi Ishivama together with his research group, projected little rotating electronic spirals, capable of floating through the fluid of the smallest organic vessels. They can enter tumours in order to destroy them or they can deliver drugs to various tissues and organs. Because of their small size, they can be injected into the human body with a simple syringe and then controlled with the impulses generated by a magnetic field and with a remote control.

THE FUTURE IS NANO!

The future advances of nanotechnology are impressive. The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts was especially created for promoting the visionary research in the spatial technologies domain which will take 10 to 40 years to be implemented. Such an example would be a study of the feasibility of a manufacturing process – using a large number of microscopic molecular machines to produce any object by assembling it atom by atom. Such a nano-factory could produce, for example, components for spacecrafts with an atomic precision.

Other researchers propose solutions based on machines already functional which can be found in the cells: DNA molecules, proteins, enzymes. Because they have been evolving for millions of years, these biological molecules are already adapted for manipulating molecular matter because of hundreds of specialized proteins and enzymes and because of the DNA which stores to code for their manufacturing. This new, emerging science is called bio-nanotechnology.

An application of bio-nanotechnology would be a “second skin” for astronauts that would detect the radiation that penetrates their costume and would seal any cracks.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS ALREADY IMPLEMENTED

Car paint with superior qualities (repair themselves at scratches)Driving mirrors that don’t blind the driverCar windows onto which it is impossible for water to condenseTransparent windows on the top if the car which produce electric current/which become darkManufacturing materials with better propertiesAdhesive substances which allow the separation of two metallic pieces if microwaves are appliedCar tires that reduce internal friction

NANOMATERIALSNanomaterials are produced out of components of at most 100

nm and are formed of groups of tens or hundreds of atoms. As a comparison, the diameter of the human hair is 80-100 thousand nm. The most researched nanomaterials are based on carbon nanotubes or nanospheres. Nanomaterials could be used in the electronic and medical domain, but they may be toxic precisely because of their small dimensions.

Optical nanomaterials are called “plasmodic metamaterials” because their unique physical properties originate from their form and structure. Two examples of metamaterials in nature are the feathers of the peacock and the wings of the butterfly. The colours are due to the structural variations at a level of hundreds of nanometers, which makes them reflect or absorb light. By using a new manufacturing technique, the researchers made thin gold films with tiny holes (up to 100 nm) in a matrix form which practically extended up to infinity. The disposal of the holes affects the behavior of light.

These materials can also be used as optical sensors and they give the possibility of manufacturing a very small light source. Moreover, because of their precise organization, they can serve as patterns for their own division or for obtaining other materials with an ordered structure such as matrices of nanoparticles.

The development of science proved that the most spectacular results are obtained by multidisciplinary research. The higher the number of these concurrent disciplines, the fastest is the development of a new science and the impact which it will have on society.

USES OF NANOTECHNOLOGY In the food industry:

Some applications of nanotechnology called nanosensors are used to identify pathogenic agents, bacteria or allergenic substances in vegetables or animal products. They help the producers to eliminate these threats and to distribute high-quality products which are safe to be consumed.

Nanotechnology is considered “the next big thing” in the manufacturing process of cosmetics products, especially of the anti-aging ones. However, nanotechnology is not a new concept, being first used in 1959, when the first theoretical ideas were proposed. They refer to the control of matter at a molecular and atomic level in order to obtain more efficient results, making the cosmetic products of our days very powerful.

In cosmetics: