Nanotechnology- the future is now

We frequently hear in our daily life the term Nanotechnology. But, do we

know what it is at first glance? Some of you may heard it for the first time in
90s, in the famous American science fiction drama television series: The Xfiles as the technology of the extraterrestrial intelligence. Nanotech is all
around you, already: in clothing, electronics, manufacturing and increasingly
in health and cosmetics.
Actually, nanotechnology is nothing extraterrestrial and today, its used in
many products, stain resistant fabrics, self-cleaning titles and paints. Then,
what is Nanotechnology? To answer this question, first we need to answer
what is technology? Technology is the application of science. We study the
technology of the nature and then apply it to out contemporany world for our
benefits. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study and application of
extremely small things and can be used across all the other science fields,
such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering.
"Nano" means one-billionth. When materials are observed at the nanometer
level (one-billionth of a meter), they often display unique properties. Today,
researchers use advanced tools, such as the atomic force microscope, to
measure matter at the nanoscale as well as to build entirely new materials,
devices, and systems molecule-by-molecule. To understand better, here its
a scale of objects with different sizes: at 10-10 we find the Carbon atom,
glucose molecule, at 10 -9 we find Buckyballs, carbon nanotubes (the
strongest material yet discovered), at 10-8 the we can see the DNA structure,
at 10-7 it can be found the virus structure, at 10-6 some bacteries, at 10-5 the
red blood cells, 10-4 is the measure of a human hair.
Carbon can form the hardest material known on earth: diamond and it also
can form one of the softest materials: graphite. Aside from the naturally
occuring forms of carbon,graphite and diamond, carbon is also found in the
nano structured forms of fullerenes (buckyballs) and carbon nanotubes
(CNTs).
Carbon is the main element that forms organic compounds. Carbon is all
around us and in us. Approximately 20% of human body is made up of
carbon. It is in DNA, RNA, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, enzymes
and even in ATP.
Beautiful small-scale designs in nature include snowflakes, pollen grains, and
diatoms. Another addition to this list is the discovery of buckyballs, an
unusual structure of pure carbon. It seems that carbon stands for becoming
the wonder element of the Nano Age. Buckyball, also called fullerene is the

3rd allotrope ( other form- property of some chemical elements to exist in

two or more different forms, in the same physical state, known as allotropes
of these elements.) of carbon discovered in recent years. In C60, 20
hexagons and 12 pentagons of carbon link together in coordination. Each
pentagon of carbon is connected to five hexagon of carbon.
Buckyball shows interesting physical proprieties: it is rezistent to shock, it is
very stable, capable of surviving the temperature extremes, it has
superconductivity, are good absorbents of hydrogen atom.
The main use for this buckyballs is forming nanotubes/ buckytubes. Possible
applications : optical devices, chemical sensors and chemical separation
devices ,production of diamonds and carbides as cutting tools, batteries and
other electrochemical applications ,polymers, nanotubes.
With their extraordinary strength and fascinating for conducting electricity
and heat, nanotubes are finding applications in everything from cancer
treatments to hydrogen cars. These structures of carbon may be tinya
nanotube's diameter is about 10,000 times smaller than a human hairbut
their impact on science and technology has been enormous.
If nanotechnology continues to advance as experts expect, within 30 years it
could give us superhuman abilities. For example, we could survive for hours
without needing to breathe.
The field of Nanomedicine is the science and technology of diagnosing,
treating, and preventing disease and traumatic injury, of relieving pain, and
of preserving and improving human health, using nanoscale structured
materials, biotechnology, and genetic engineering, and eventually complex
machine systems and nonorobots.
Nanotechnologies may have the greatest impact in the medical and
healthcare fields. There are some nano-enabled uses at the moment, with
others not so far away. However many of the much talked about applications
- creating artificial body parts or remotely diagnosing and delivering drugs
may be a long way off, or may not even be possible.
The most notable changes will come from improvements in diagnosing
illnesses more easily and treating them by better targeting of drugs. It will
also make existing medical applications much cheaper and easier to use in
different settings like GP surgeries and homes. Nanotherapy is showing
promise as a means to target chemotherapy, kill tumor cells by heating or
enhance the effectiveness of radiotherapy, here (video) you can see how its
destroyed a tumor cell.
Instead of damaging a large amount of the body, these instruments would be
precise and accurate, targeting only the area where surgery should be done.
Visualization of surgery can also be improved. Nano-robotics, although they
are having many applications in other areas, have the most useful and
variety of uses in medical fields. The application of nanotechnology to cancer
can lead to many advances in the prevention, detection, and treatment of

cancer, here you can see how nanotechnology can destroy tumor cells
(video)
Potential applications include early diagnosis and targeted drug delivery for
cancer, biomedical instrumentation, surgery, pharmacokinetics, monitoring
of diabetes, and health care.
Here its a big question: could nanotechnology be used to extend human
lifespan? If nanotechnology continues to advance as experts expect, within
30 years it could give us superhuman abilities. For example, we could
survive for hours without needing to breathe.
Nanomedicine represents the most important area of Active Nanostructure
research. Huge successes have already been achieved; since 2010, two
nanotechnology-based cancer drugs have passed regulatory scrutiny and are
on the marketDoxil and Abraxane. But we wont even begin to see the
incredible potential of nanomedicine until the 2020s. Nanodevices are small
enough to infiltrate areas of the body which were once only accessible on the
operating table. In the 2020s, early phase 3 versions of nanodevices will be
used in the body to track signs of cancerous cells, allowing early diagnosis.
Nano therapies could, in the long term, be much more economical, effective
and safe and could greatly reduce the cost of current medical procedures.
Although realization of the full potential of nanomedicine may be years or
decades away, recent advances in nanotechnology-related drug delivery,
diagnosis, and drug development are beginning to change the landscape
medicine.
While nanotechnology is seen as the way of the future and is a technology
that a lot of people think will bring a lot of benefit for all who will be using it,
nothing is ever perfect and there will always be pros and cons to everything.
The advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology can be easily
enumerated, and here are some of them:
-Nanotechnology can actually revolutionize a lot of electronic products,
procedures, and applications. The areas that benefit from the continued
development of nanotechnology when it comes to electronic products
include nano transistors, nano diodes, OLED, plasma displays, quantum
computers, and many more.
- Nanotechnology is also seen as a boon since these can help with creating
what is called smart drugs. These help cure people faster and without the
side effects that other traditional drugs have. You will also find that the
research of nanotechnology in medicine is now focusing on areas like tissue
regeneration, bone repair, immunity and even cures for such ailments like
cancer, diabetes, and other life threatening diseases.
-Other advantages of nanotechnology in medicine are: that detection is
relatively easy, no surgery is required, lesser side effects
When talking the advantages of nanotechnology, you will also need to point
out what can be seen as the negative side of this technology:
-the possible loss of jobs in the traditional farming and manufacturing
industry.

-a tomic weapons can now be more accessible and made to be more

powerful and more destructive. These can also become more accessible with
nanotechnology.
-since these particles are very small, problems can actually arise from the
inhalation of these minute particles, much like the problems a person gets
from inhaling minute asbestos particles.
-presently, nanotechnology is very expensive and developing it can cost you
a lot of money. It is also pretty difficult to manufacture, which is probably
why products made with nanotechnology are more expensive.
Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore just never seem to age.
Those of us without access to teams of make-up artists and airbrushing may
wonder whether we, too, can make fine lines and wrinkles a thing of the
past. When strolling past the cosmetics counter at big supermarkets,
hundreds of skincare products promising eternal youth and beauty compete
for our attention. From creams containing stem cells to those claiming to
repair damaged DNA, companies are using science to entice customers.
Manufacturers are even investing in and promoting nanotechnology. Such
advertising can be confusing and lead patrons to believe that these products
yield unparalleled results. Is this just a marketing trick or can
nanotechnology actually revolutionize the cosmetics industry?
The applications of nanotechnology and nanomaterials can be found in many
cosmetic products including moisturisers, hair care products, make up and
sunscreen.
The first use of nanoparticles are as UV filters. Titanium dioxide and zinc
oxide are the main compounds used in these applications. Organic
alternatives to these have also been developed. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and
zinc oxide (ZnO) block the harmful effects of ultraviolet light - the stronger
the sunblock the whiter the lotion, with total sunblocks becoming a thick
white paste.
Silver nanoparticles, which have antibacterial activity, are also being
incorporated into toothpastes and shampoos as preservatives. Cosmetics
giant L'Oral invested $927 million in cosmetic and dermatological research
in 2011 and is an industry leader in nanotechnology-related patents. Silver

nanoparticles and so-called colloidal silver, which contains silver nanoparticles, are
used in many personal care products, because they are very effective at killing
bacteria.

But, newly developed cosmetics create exceptionally high expectations for

nanotechnology. Oro Gold Cosmetics, whose products cost as much as
$1,398 for a face mask, includes gold nanoparticles in its formulas and
claims that these nanoparticles have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
properties, drive tissue regeneration, restore skin elasticity, and reduce signs

of stress and aging. However, there isnt concrete proof that these tiny
particles pack such a massive punch.
Unlike sunscreens, nanoparticles in anti-wrinkle regiments would need to
reach the middle layers of the skin (the dermis) in order to target the cellular
proteins responsible for aging. These proteins, known as collagen and
elastin, are responsible for maintaining the structure and flexibility of
skin. Skin cells regenerate less frequently with age, and collagen and elastin
become less effective.
But, it is critical to test the safety of nanoparticles throughout their various
applications because nanoparticles have the potential to be more reactive
than their larger counterparts. One of the largest fears is that nanoparticles
could penetrate below the skin and accumulate in other tissues or organs
and induce toxicity.
Examples of brands that are using nanoparticules in their products: LOreal
used polymer nanocapsules to deliver active ingredients, e.g. retinol or
Vitamin A, into the deeper layers of skin.
Other companies using nanotech in their skin products as of 2005 include:
Mary Kay and Clinique from Lauder; Neutrogena, from Johnson & Johnson;
Avon; and the Estee Lauder brand.
Do you know what you are eating?
You probably hear about Charlie and the chocolate factory. If you do, then
youll be surprised about this: Willy Wonka is the father of nano-food. The
great chocolate- factory owner, you'll remember, invented a chewing gum
that was a full three-course dinner. 'It will be the end of all kitchens and
cooking,' he told the children on his tour - and produced a prototype sample
of Wonka's Magic Chewing Gum. One strip of this would deliver tomato soup,
roast beef with roast potatoes and blueberry pie and ice cream.
The processed-food giant Kraft and a group of research laboratories are busy
working towards 'programmable food'. One product they are working on is a
colourless, tasteless drink that you, the consumer, will design after you've
bought it. You'll decide what colour and flavour you'd like the drink to be, and
what nutrients it will have in it, once you get home. Your milk carton will tell
you when its contents are sour, thanks to particles that sense the gases of
decomposition and change colour, and nano-molecules in the ink on the
label that tell you how old it is and duly change colour. Kraft and Unilever
have products on test.
Every major food corporation is investing in nano-tech - government in
Europe has pumped 1.7 billion in research money into the field over the
past eight years. Nano-food and nano-food packaging are on their way
because the food industry has spotted the chance for huge profi ts: by 2010,

the business, according to analysts, will be worth $20 billion annually. And
there is already a prototype of a Wonka-esque chewing gum that, using
nano-capsules, promises the sensation of eating real chocolate.
Most of products are self-cleaning and anti-bacterial food-packaging items :
cutting boards and so on. There's a couple of Samsung nano-silverised
refrigerators. There are nutritional supplements, under the well-established
American brand Nanoceuticals. There's a Vitamin B12 spray marketed by
Nutrition-by-Nanotech. You simply catch a child with an open mouth and
spray the stuff straight in: they'll absorb the nano-sized vitamins directly
through the mucal cells. 'Tastes like candy... Would you believe it, they are
asking for more!' runs the copy line, less than enticingly.
Others examples: are 'Nanotea', from a Chinese company, that will increase
tenfold the amount of selenium absorbed from green tea (that's a good
thing), Canola Activa Oil, an Israeli invention: nano-capsule-delivered
chemicals in rapeseed cooking oil that will stop cholesterol entering the
bloodstream and SlimShake chocolate - a powdered drink that uses
nanotechnology to cluster the cocoa cells, and thus cut out the need for
sugar.
The food industry is excited about sell-by dates and self-preserving food.
Nano-coatings will make the life span of manufactured food even longer.
Mars has a US patent for nano-scale fi lms that have been tested on M&Ms,
Twix and Skittles. The coatings are made from oxides of silicon or titanium,
are undetectable, could kill bacteria, and would increase the life of many
manufactured foods, even after they are opened.
Ultimately, says Franz Kampers, a scientist at the Netherland's Wageningen
University, 'The Holy Grail of the food industry is to create something like
this' - he shows a picture of a glistening roast turkey with all the trimmings 'from plant protein. That would be really something!'. You may not want it,
but the scientists are already halfway there.
Nanotechnologys potential and promise have steadily been growing
throughout the years. The world is quickly accepting and adapting to this
new addition to the scientific toolbox. Although there are many obstacles to
overcome in implementing this technology for common usage, science is
constantly refining, developing, and making breakthroughs.