The applications of nanotechnology, commonly incorporate industrial, medicinal, and energy uses. These include more durable construction materials, therapeutic drug delivery, and higher density hydrogen fuel cells that are environmentally friendly. Being that nanoparticles and nanodevices are highly versatile through modification of their physiochemical properties, they have found uses in nanoscale electronics, cancer treatments, vaccines, hydrogen fuel cells, and nanographene batteries. [1]
Nanotechnology's use of smaller sized materials allows for adjustment of molecules and substances at the nanoscale level, which can further enhance the mechanical properties of materials or grant access to less physically accessible areas of the body. [1] [2] [3]
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Nanotubes can help with cancer treatment. They have been shown to be effective tumor killers in those with kidney or breast cancer. [4] [5] Multi-walled nanotubes are injected into a tumor and treated with a special type of laser that generates near-infrared radiation for around half a minute. These nanotubes vibrate in response to the laser, and heat is generated. When the tumor has been heated enough, the tumor cells begin to die. Processes like this one have been able to shrink kidney tumors by up to four-fifths. [4]
Ultrablack materials, made up of “forests” of carbon nanotubes, are important in space, where there is more light than is convenient to work with. Ultrablack material can be applied to camera and telescope systems to decrease the amount of light and allow for more detailed images to be captured. [6]
Nanotubes show promise in treating cardiovascular disease. They could play an important role in blood vessel cleanup. Theoretically, nanotubes with SHP1i molecules attached to them would signal macrophages to clean up plaque in blood vessels without destroying any healthy tissue. Researchers have tested this type of modified nanotube in mice with high amounts of plaque buildup; the mice that received the nanotube treatment showed statistically significant reductions in plaque buildup compared to the mice in the placebo group. [7] Further research is needed for this treatment to be given to humans.
Nanotubes may be used in body armor for future soldiers. This type of armor would be very strong and highly effective at shielding soldiers’ bodies from projectiles and electromagnetic radiation. It is also possible that the nanotubes in the armor could play a role in keeping an eye on soldiers’ conditions. [8]
Nanotechnology's ability to observe and control the material world at a nanoscopic level can offer great potential for construction development. Nanotechnology can help improve the strength and durability of construction materials, including cement, steel, wood, and glass. [9]
By applying nanotechnology, materials can gain a range of new properties. The discovery of a highly ordered crystal nanostructure of amorphous C-S-H gel and the application of photocatalyst and coating technology result in a new generation of materials with properties like water resistance, self-cleaning property, wear resistance, and corrosion protection. [10] Among the new nanoengineered polymers, there are highly efficient superplasticizers for concrete and high-strength fibers with exceptional energy absorbing capacity. [10]
Experts believe that nanotechnology remains in its exploration stage and has potential in improving conventional materials such as steel. [10] Understanding the composite nanostructures of such materials and exploring nanomaterials' different applications may lead to the development of new materials with expanded properties, such as electrical conductivity as well as temperature-, moisture- and stress-sensing abilities. [10]
Due to the complexity of the equipment, nanomaterials have high cost compared to conventional materials, meaning they are not likely to feature high-volume building materials. [11] In special cases, nanotechnology can help reduce costs for complicated problems. But in most cases, the traditional method for construction remains more cost-efficient. [11] With the improvement of manufacturing technologies, the costs of applying nanotechnology into construction have been decreasing over time and are expected to decrease more. [11]
Nanoelectronics refers to the application of nanotechnology on electronic components. Nanoelectronics aims to improve the performance of electronic devices on displays and power consumption while shrinking them. [12] Therefore, nanoelectronics can help reach the goal set up in Moore's law, which predicts the continued trend of scaling down in the size of integrated circuits.
Nanoelectronics is a multidisciplinary area composed of quantum physics, device analysis, system integration, and circuit analysis. [13] Since de Broglie wavelength in the semiconductors may be on the order of 100 nm, the quantum effect at this length scale becomes essential. [13] The different device physics and novel quantum effects of electrons can lead to exciting applications. [13]
The terms nanobiotechnology and bionanotechnology refer to the combination of ideas, techniques, and sciences of biology and nanotechnology. More specifically, nanobiotechnology refers to the application of nanoscale objects for biotechnology while bionanotechnology refers to the use of biological components in nanotechnology. [1]
The most prominent intersection of nanotechnology and biology is in the field of nanomedicine , where the use of nanoparticles and nanodevices has many clinical applications in delivering therapeutic drugs, monitoring health conditions, and diagnosing diseases. [14] Being that much of the biological processes in the human body occur at the cellular level, the small size of nanomaterials allows for them to be used as tools that can easily circulate within the body and directly interact with intercellular and even intracellular environments. In addition, nanomaterials can have physiochemical properties that differ from their bulk form due to their size, [15] allowing for varying chemical reactivities and diffusion effects that can be studied and changed for diversified applications.
A common application of nanomedicine is in therapeutic drug delivery, where nanoparticles containing drugs for therapeutic treatment of disease are introduced into the body and act as vessels that deliver the drugs to the targeted area. The nanoparticle vessels, which can be made of organic or synthetic components, can further be functionalized by adjusting their size, shape, surface charge, and surface attachments (proteins, coatings, polymers, etc.). [2] The opportunity for functionalizing nanoparticles in such ways is especially beneficial when targeting areas of the body that have certain physiochemical properties that prevent the intended drug from reaching the targeted area alone; for example, some nanoparticles are able to bypass the Blood Brain Barrier to deliver therapeutic drugs to the brain. [16] Nanoparticles have recently been used in cancer therapy treatments and vaccines. [17] [18] [19] [20] Magnetic nanorobots have demonstrated capabilities to prevent and treat antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Application of nanomotor implants have been proposed to achieve thorough disinfection of the dentine. [21] [22]
In vivo imaging is also a key part in nanomedicine, as nanoparticles can be used as contrast agents for common imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET). [14] The ability for nanoparticles to localize and circulate in specific cells, tissues, or organs through their design can provide high contrast that results in higher sensitivity imaging, and thus can be applicable in studying pharmacokinetics or visual disease diagnosis. [14] [2]
The energy applications of nanotechnology relates to using the small size of nanoparticles to store energy more efficiently. This promotes the use of renewable energy through green nanotechnology by generating, storing, and using energy without emitting harmful greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
Nanoparticles used in solar cells are increasing the amount of energy absorbed from sunlight. [23]
Nanotechnology is enabling the use of hydrogen energy at a much higher capacity. [24] Hydrogen fuel cells, while they are not an energy source themselves, allow for storing energy from sunlight and other renewable sources in an environmentally-friendly fashion without any CO2 emissions. [24] Some of the main drawbacks of traditional hydrogen fuel cells are that they are expensive and not durable enough for commercial uses. [25] However, by using nanoparticles, both the durability and price over time improve significantly. [25] Furthermore, conventional fuel cells are too large to be stored in volume, but researchers have discovered that nanoblades can store greater volumes of hydrogen that can then be saved inside carbon nanotubes for long-term storage. [25]
Nanotechnology is giving rise to nanographene batteries that can store energy more efficiently and weigh less. [26] Lithium-ion batteries have been the primary battery technology in electronics for the last decade, but the current limits in the technology make it difficult to densify batteries due to the potential dangers of heat and explosion. [24] Graphene batteries being tested in experimental electric cars have promised capacities 4 times greater than current batteries with the cost being 77% lower. [26] Additionally, graphene batteries provide stable life cycles of up to 250,000 cycles, [27] which would allow electric vehicles and long-term products a reliable energy source for decades.
Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing properties of matter. This definition of nanotechnology includes all types of research and technologies that deal with these special properties. It is common to see the plural form "nanotechnologies" as well as "nanoscale technologies" to refer to research and applications whose common trait is scale. An earlier understanding of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for fabricating macroscale products, now referred to as molecular nanotechnology.
Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. Nanomedicine ranges from the medical applications of nanomaterials and biological devices, to nanoelectronic biosensors, and even possible future applications of molecular nanotechnology such as biological machines. Current problems for nanomedicine involve understanding the issues related to toxicity and environmental impact of nanoscale materials.
Nanosensors are nanoscale devices that measure physical quantities and convert these to signals that can be detected and analyzed. There are several ways proposed today to make nanosensors; these include top-down lithography, bottom-up assembly, and molecular self-assembly. There are different types of nanosensors in the market and in development for various applications, most notably in defense, environmental, and healthcare industries. These sensors share the same basic workflow: a selective binding of an analyte, signal generation from the interaction of the nanosensor with the bio-element, and processing of the signal into useful metrics.
Nanomaterials describe, in principle, chemical substances or materials of which a single unit is sized between 1 and 100 nm.
Nanoid robotics, or for short, nanorobotics or nanobotics, is an emerging technology field creating machines or robots, which are called nanorobots or simply nanobots, whose components are at or near the scale of a nanometer. More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots with devices ranging in size from 0.1 to 10 micrometres and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components. The terms nanobot, nanoid, nanite, nanomachine and nanomite have also been used to describe such devices currently under research and development.
Nanochemistry is an emerging sub-discipline of the chemical and material sciences that deals with the development of new methods for creating nanoscale materials. The term "nanochemistry" was first used by Ozin in 1992 as 'the uses of chemical synthesis to reproducibly afford nanomaterials from the atom "up", contrary to the nanoengineering and nanophysics approach that operates from the bulk "down"'. Nanochemistry focuses on solid-state chemistry that emphasizes synthesis of building blocks that are dependent on size, surface, shape, and defect properties, rather than the actual production of matter. Atomic and molecular properties mainly deal with the degrees of freedom of atoms in the periodic table. However, nanochemistry introduced other degrees of freedom that controls material's behaviors by transformation into solutions. Nanoscale objects exhibit novel material properties, largely as a consequence of their finite small size. Several chemical modifications on nanometer-scaled structures approve size dependent effects.
The impact of nanotechnology extends from its medical, ethical, mental, legal and environmental applications, to fields such as engineering, biology, chemistry, computing, materials science, and communications.
Nanobatteries are fabricated batteries employing technology at the nanoscale, particles that measure less than 100 nanometers or 10−7 meters. These batteries may be nano in size or may use nanotechnology in a macro scale battery. Nanoscale batteries can be combined to function as a macrobattery such as within a nanopore battery.
As the world's energy demand continues to grow, the development of more efficient and sustainable technologies for generating and storing energy is becoming increasingly important. According to Dr. Wade Adams from Rice University, energy will be the most pressing problem facing humanity in the next 50 years and nanotechnology has potential to solve this issue. Nanotechnology, a relatively new field of science and engineering, has shown promise to have a significant impact on the energy industry. Nanotechnology is defined as any technology that contains particles with one dimension under 100 nanometers in length. For scale, a single virus particle is about 100 nanometers wide.
Photothermal therapy (PTT) refers to efforts to use electromagnetic radiation for the treatment of various medical conditions, including cancer. This approach is an extension of photodynamic therapy, in which a photosensitizer is excited with specific band light. This activation brings the sensitizer to an excited state where it then releases vibrational energy (heat), which is what kills the targeted cells.
A biointerface is the region of contact between a biomolecule, cell, biological tissue or living organism or organic material considered living with another biomaterial or inorganic/organic material. The motivation for biointerface science stems from the urgent need to increase the understanding of interactions between biomolecules and surfaces. The behavior of complex macromolecular systems at materials interfaces are important in the fields of biology, biotechnology, diagnostics, and medicine. Biointerface science is a multidisciplinary field in which biochemists who synthesize novel classes of biomolecules cooperate with scientists who have developed the tools to position biomolecules with molecular precision, scientists who have developed new spectroscopic techniques to interrogate these molecules at the solid-liquid interface, and people who integrate these into functional devices. Well-designed biointerfaces would facilitate desirable interactions by providing optimized surfaces where biological matter can interact with other inorganic or organic materials, such as by promoting cell and tissue adhesion onto a surface.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to nanotechnology:
Green nanotechnology refers to the use of nanotechnology to enhance the environmental sustainability of processes producing negative externalities. It also refers to the use of the products of nanotechnology to enhance sustainability. It includes making green nano-products and using nano-products in support of sustainability.
Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are a class of nanoparticle that can be manipulated using magnetic fields. Such particles commonly consist of two components, a magnetic material, often iron, nickel and cobalt, and a chemical component that has functionality. While nanoparticles are smaller than 1 micrometer in diameter, the larger microbeads are 0.5–500 micrometer in diameter. Magnetic nanoparticle clusters that are composed of a number of individual magnetic nanoparticles are known as magnetic nanobeads with a diameter of 50–200 nanometers. Magnetic nanoparticle clusters are a basis for their further magnetic assembly into magnetic nanochains. The magnetic nanoparticles have been the focus of much research recently because they possess attractive properties which could see potential use in catalysis including nanomaterial-based catalysts, biomedicine and tissue specific targeting, magnetically tunable colloidal photonic crystals, microfluidics, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic particle imaging, data storage, environmental remediation, nanofluids, optical filters, defect sensor, magnetic cooling and cation sensors.
In materials and electric battery research, cobalt oxide nanoparticles usually refers to particles of cobalt(II,III) oxide Co
3O
4 of nanometer size, with various shapes and crystal structures.
Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanoparticles with a size less than 10 nm. They exhibited size-dependent properties especially in the optical absorption and the photoluminescence (PL). Typically, the fluorescence emission peak of the QDs can be tuned by changing their diameters. So far, QDs were consisted of different group elements such as CdTe, CdSe, CdS in the II-VI category, InP or InAs in the III-V category, CuInS2 or AgInS2 in the I–III–VI2 category, and PbSe/PbS in the IV-VI category. These QDs are promising candidates as fluorescent labels in various biological applications such as bioimaging, biosensing and drug delivery.
A radioactive nanoparticle is a nanoparticle that contains radioactive materials. Radioactive nanoparticles have applications in medical diagnostics, medical imaging, toxicokinetics, and environmental health, and are being investigated for applications in nuclear nanomedicine. Radioactive nanoparticles present special challenges in operational health physics and internal dosimetry that are not present for other substances, although existing radiation protection measures and hazard controls for nanoparticles generally apply.
There are many water purifiers available in the market which use different techniques like boiling, filtration, distillation, chlorination, sedimentation and oxidation. Currently nanotechnology plays a vital role in water purification techniques. Nanotechnology is the process of manipulating atoms on a nanoscale. In nanotechnology, nanomembranes are used with the purpose of softening the water and removal of contaminants such as physical, biological and chemical contaminants. There are variety of techniques in nanotechnology which uses nanoparticles for providing safe drinking water with a high level of effectiveness. Some techniques have become commercialized.
Ramakrishna Podila is an Indian-born American physicist and nanomaterials researcher. He is currently an associate professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Clemson University and is the director of the Clemson Nano-bio lab. He is known for his interdisciplinary research at the interface of physics, biology, and nanoscience. His lab integrates the principles of condensed matter physics, optical spectroscopy, and physiological chemistry to understand physics at the nanoscale and nano-bio interfaces.
Nanomaterials have gained significant attention in the field of cancer research and treatment due to their unique properties and potential applications. These materials, typically on the nanoscale, offer several advantages in the fight against cancer.