RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN NANO TECHNOLOGY

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN NANO TECHNOLOGY

Small is good……….smart and powerful. In fact, things that are small in size seem to be ruling the world of technology.
‘Nano’ is the Greek word for ‘dwarf’. Today it means one billionth of a meter.
Nano material is anything as small as an atom or a molecule.
Nano technology is the process of building devises out of individual atoms or molecules.
It was discovered in recent years that materials attain astonishingly new properties when they are of nano size. The use of nano materials dates back to Greek and Roman civilizations, for example, recently French scientists discovered that the hair dye used to blacken grey hair in the Roman Empire worked by depositing nano-crystals of lead sulfide at the root of the hair. Similarly, Indian Institute of Technology researchers found that Kajal-the ancient Indian eye liner is filled with carbon nano-tubes.

Today nations are spending millions of dollars on research and development work in the field of Nano Technology. During the recent Indo-UK Nano Technology Conference held at the S. N. Bose National Centre of Basic Sciences, Kolkata, Prof. Mark Welland, Director, Nano Science Center, Cambridge University predicted that the next wave of global advances in I T and telecom will be driven by innovations in nano technology, be it advances in computer technology, mobile phone flash memory, future digital cameras or the ipod Nano. He said that it’s incredible impact will touch all major industry sectors like healthcare, automobiles, cosmetics, energy, food, paints, security and environment. The biggest economic driver in the computer field will be the need to reduce the cost of computation. Nano technology can sharply reduce the cost of storing information on a hard disk.

Considering the Indian Scenario, a Nano Science & Technology Consortium has been established with the aim of creating a platform conducive for growth, promotion and partnering in the field of nano science and technology. The Rajeev Gandhi Nano Tech Silicone is coming up at Hyderabad. The Indian Department of Science and technology is supporting over 100 nano technology related initiatives costing over 70 million dollars during the last four years. Dr J. Bellare of IIT, Mumbai recently listed the following future developments in Nanotechnology;
Medical-Advanced drug delivery systems, micro-engineered devices, improved cardiac catheters & Stents.
Cosmetics- durable action cosmetics.
Computers- faster computers and advanced data storage
Agriculture- Advanced systems for storage, preservation and irrigation
Industry- Nano pores for smart filters and membranes
The future possibilities are endless in a plethora of fields like computers, mobile phones, health-care, and entertainment. Let us see some of the recently developed applications of Nano technology.



Recent applications

Socks for marathon runners: - Greeyarn, a Boston company manufactured the most cushioned socks for marathon runners at the recent Boston and Chicago marathons. At 200 needle points, these socks made of Eco-fabric manufactured from nano particles of bamboo-charcoal keep runners’ feet cool and dry, help circulation and remain odorless. Socks infused with anti-microbial nano silver particles have also been made. Acrymed uses nano particles for anti-microbial applications.
Nano-Tex pants:- Pants that feel like cotton but do not wrinkle
Thermo-regulator fabrics:- French fabric house Avelana and Roudiere’ has made a thermo-regulator fabric which absorbs thermal changes and offers garments which keep their wearers at a conducive temperature regardless of the weather.
Samsung uses nano technology in their products like refrigerators, washing machines and air-coolers.
In medicine, nano technology is being used in the field of diagnostic tests for tuberculosis and colon cancer. 100 megabits-per second 4G phones, in future, could work as portable doctors and omnipotent medical devices enabling health check-ups anywhere and transmit the data to the physician wirelessly for quick diagnosis. University of Alberta developed a micro sensor which monitors the bone healing process in people recovering from hip replacement surgery. It reduces post operation recovery time and the wait time for patients needing artificial joint implants. Nano technology is being used in dental restoration to achieve a combination of strength and aesthetics.
NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland has developed a novel platform for the self assembly of hierarchical surfaces in a fluid which offers a new way to generate and measure self assembly at the nano scale...
University of Albany, New York used immersion lithography to pattern features narrower than 45 nm in multiple orientations simultaneously.
Motorola Laboratories and Arizona State University used single wall carbon nano tubes (SWNT) in field effect transistors (FET) to sense biological and chemical agents. Carbon nano tubes coated with peptides were used to produce low power SWNT-FET s that are highly sensitive and can selectively detect heavy metal ions to the parts per trillion levels.
Center for functional nonmaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory used rigid synthetic double-stranded DNA to control the assembly of gold nano particles. The DNA was capped on to individual gold nano particles and customized to recognize and bind to complementary DNA located on other particles.
University of Delaware scientists discovered a means to detect and identify damage within advanced composite material by using a network of carbon nano tubes which acts in much the same way as human nerves. This device will enable better prediction of the life span of various composites and it could become an important tool in monitoring the health of components made of composite materials.
Clemson University Chemists have developed a counter measure strategy to stop the spread of Anthrax. Anthrax spreads by inhalation of the fine spores into the lungs. The anthrax spores are covered with sugar molecules which attracts other biological species. The scientists used carbon nano tubes coated with sugar which binds with anthrax pores, creating clusters too large to be inhaled into lungs.

Sources

1. Small Times, v.6, No.6, November/December 2006 (www.smalltimes.com)
2. I T will be driven by nano technology, Economic Times, November 22, 2006
3. Size does matter, Times of India, November 19, 2006