List of nanotechnology applications

With nanotechnology, a large set of materials and improved products rely on a change in
the physical properties when the feature sizes are shrunk. Nanoparticles, for example,
take advantage of their dramatically increased surface area to volume ratio. Their optical
properties, e.g. fluorescence, become a function of the particle diameter. When brought
into a bulk material, nanoparticles can strongly influence the mechanical properties of the
material, like stiffness or elasticity. For example, traditional polymers can be reinforced
by nanoparticles resulting in novel materials which can be used as lightweight
replacements for metals. Therefore, an increasing societal benefit of such nanoparticles
can be expected. Such nanotechnologically enhanced materials will enable a weight
reduction accompanied by an increase in stability and improved functionality. Practical
nanotechnology is essentially the increasing ability to manipulate (with precision) matter
on previously impossible scales, presenting possibilities which many could never have
imagined - it therefore seems unsurprising that few areas of human technology are
exempt from the benefits which nanotechnology could potentially bring.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Medicine
o 1.1 Diagnostics
o 1.2 Drug delivery
o 1.3 Tissue engineering
• 2 Chemistry and environment
o 2.1 Catalysis
o 2.2 Filtration
• 3 Energy
o 3.1 Reduction of energy consumption
o 3.2 Increasing the efficiency of energy production
o 3.3 Recycling of batteries
• 4 Information and communication
o 4.1 Memory Storage
o 4.2 Novel semiconductor devices
o 4.3 Novel optoelectronic devices
o 4.4 Displays
o 4.5 Quantum computers
• 5 Heavy Industry
o 5.1 Aerospace
 o 5.2 Construction
 5.2.1 Nanotechnology and constructions
 5.2.2 Nanoparticles and steel
 5.2.3 Nanoparticles in glass
 5.2.4 Nanoparticles in coatings
 5.2.5 Nanoparticles in fire protection and detection
 5.2.6 Risks of using nanoparticles in construction
o 5.3 Vehicle manufacturers
• 6 Consumer goods
o 6.1 Foods
 6.1.1 Nano-foods
o 6.2 Household
o 6.3 Optics
o 6.4 Textiles
o 6.5 Cosmetics
o 6.6 Agriculture
• 7 References

• 8 External links

Medicine
Main article: Nanomedicine

The biological and medical research communities have exploited the unique properties of
nanomaterials for various applications (e.g., contrast agents for cell imaging and
therapeutics for treating cancer). Terms such as biomedical nanotechnology,
nanobiotechnology, and nanomedicine are used to describe this hybrid field.
Functionalities can be added to nanomaterials by interfacing them with biological
molecules or structures. The size of nanomaterials is similar to that of most biological
molecules and structures; therefore, nanomaterials can be useful for both in vivo and in
vitro biomedical research and applications. Thus far, the integration of nanomaterials
with biology has led to the development of diagnostic devices, contrast agents, analytical
tools, physical therapy applications, and drug delivery vehicles.

Diagnostics

Nanotechnology-on-a-chip is one more dimension of lab-on-a-chip technology. Magnetic

nanoparticles, bound to a suitable antibody, are used to label specific molecules,
structures or microorganisms. Gold nanoparticles tagged with short segments of DNA
can be used for detection of genetic sequence in a sample. Multicolor optical coding for
biological assays has been achieved by embedding different-sized quantum dots into
polymeric microbeads. Nanopore technology for analysis of nucleic acids converts
strings of nucleotides directly into electronic signatures.
Drug delivery

Nanotechnology has been a boom in medical field by delivering drugs to specific cells
using nanoparticles. The overall drug consumption and side-effects can be lowered
significantly by depositing the active agent in the morbid region only and in no higher
dose than needed. This highly selective approach reduces costs and human suffering. An
example can be found in dendrimers and nanoporous materials. Another example is to
use block co-polymers, which form micelles for drug encapsulation.[1] They could hold
small drug molecules transporting them to the desired location. Another vision is based
on small electromechanical systems; NEMS are being investigated for the active release
of drugs. Some potentially important applications include cancer treatment with iron
nanoparticles or gold shells. A targeted or personalized medicine reduces the drug
consumption and treatment expenses resulting in an overall societal benefit by reducing
the costs to the public health system. Nanotechnology is also opening up new
opportunities in implantable delivery systems, which are often preferable to the use of
injectable drugs, because the latter frequently display first-order kinetics (the blood
concentration goes up rapidly, but drops exponentially over time). This rapid rise may
cause difficulties with toxicity, and drug efficacy can diminish as the drug concentration
falls below the targeted range.

Buckyballs can "interrupt" the allergy/immune response by preventing mast cells (which
cause allergic response) from releasing histamine into the blood and tissues, by binding to
free radicals "dramatically better than any anti-oxidant currently available, such as
vitamin E".[2]

Tissue engineering

Nanotechnology can help to reproduce or to repair damaged tissue. “Tissue engineering”

makes use of artificially stimulated cell proliferation by using suitable nanomaterial-
based scaffolds and growth factors. For example, bones can be regrown on carbon
nanotube scaffolds. Tissue engineering might replace today's conventional treatments like
organ transplants or artificial implants. Advanced forms of tissue engineering may lead to
life extension.

Chemistry and environment

Chemical catalysis and filtration techniques are two prominent examples where
nanotechnology already plays a role. The synthesis provides novel materials with tailored
features and chemical properties: for example, nanoparticles with a distinct chemical
surrounding (ligands), or specific optical properties. In this sense, chemistry is indeed a
basic nanoscience. In a short-term perspective, chemistry will provide novel
“nanomaterials” and in the long run, superior processes such as “self-assembly” will
enable energy and time preserving strategies. In a sense, all chemical synthesis can be
understood in terms of nanotechnology, because of its ability to manufacture certain
molecules. Thus, chemistry forms a base for nanotechnology providing tailor-made
molecules, polymers, etcetera, as well as clusters and nanoparticles.
Catalysis

Chemical catalysis benefits especially from nanoparticles, due to the extremely large
surface to volume ratio. The application potential of nanoparticles in catalysis ranges
from fuel cell to catalytic converters and photocatalytic devices. Catalysis is also
important for the production of chemicals.

Platinum nanoparticles are now being considered in the next generation of automotive
catalytic converters because the very high surface area of nanoparticles could reduce the
amount of platinum required.[3] However, some concerns have been raised due to
experiments demonstrating that they will spontaneously combust if methane is mixed
with the ambient air.[4] Ongoing research at the Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique (CNRS) in France may resolve their true usefulness for catalytic
applications.[5] Nanofiltration may come to be an important application, although future
research must be careful to investigate possible toxicity.[6]

Filtration

Main article: Nanofiltration

A strong influence of photochemistry on waste-water treatment, air purification and

energy storage devices is to be expected. Mechanical or chemical methods can be used
for effective filtration techniques. One class of filtration techniques is based on the use of
membranes with suitable hole sizes, whereby the liquid is pressed through the membrane.
Nanoporous membranes are suitable for a mechanical filtration with extremely small
pores smaller than 10 nm (“nanofiltration”) and may be composed of nanotubes.
Nanofiltration is mainly used for the removal of ions or the separation of different fluids.
On a larger scale, the membrane filtration technique is named ultrafiltration, which works
down to between 10 and 100 nm. One important field of application for ultrafiltration is
medical purposes as can be found in renal dialysis. Magnetic nanoparticles offer an
effective and reliable method to remove heavy metal contaminants from waste water by
making use of magnetic separation techniques. Using nanoscale particles increases the
efficiency to absorb the contaminants and is comparatively inexpensive compared to
traditional precipitation and filtration methods.

Some water-treatment devices incorporating nanotechnology are already on the market,

with more in development. Low-cost nanostructured separation membranes methods have
been shown to be effective in producing potable water in a recent study.[7]

Energy
Main article: Energy applications of nanotechnology

The most advanced nanotechnology projects related to energy are: storage, conversion,
manufacturing improvements by reducing materials and process rates, energy saving (by
better thermal insulation for example), and enhanced renewable energy sources.
Reduction of energy consumption

A reduction of energy consumption can be reached by better insulation systems, by the

use of more efficient lighting or combustion systems, and by use of lighter and stronger
materials in the transportation sector. Currently used light bulbs only convert
approximately 5% of the electrical energy into light. Nanotechnological approaches like
light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or quantum caged atoms (QCAs) could lead to a strong
reduction of energy consumption for illumination.

Increasing the efficiency of energy production

Today's best solar cells have layers of several different semiconductors stacked together
to absorb light at different energies but they still only manage to use 40 percent of the
Sun's energy. Commercially available solar cells have much lower efficiencies (15-20%).
Nanotechnology could help increase the efficiency of light conversion by using
nanostructures with a continuum of bandgaps.

The degree of efficiency of the internal combustion engine is about 30-40% at the
moment. Nanotechnology could improve combustion by designing specific catalysts with
maximized surface area. In 2005, scientists at the University of Toronto developed a
spray-on nanoparticle substance that, when applied to a surface, instantly transforms it
into a solar collector.[1]

Recycling of batteries

Main article: Nanobatteries

Because of the relatively low energy density of batteries the operating time is limited and
a replacement or recharging is needed. The huge number of spent batteries and
accumulators represent a disposal problem. The use of batteries with higher energy
content or the use of rechargeable batteries or supercapacitors with higher rate of
recharging using nanomaterials could be helpful for the battery disposal problem. Yield is
an issue here.

Information and communication

Current high-technology production processes are based on traditional top down
strategies, where nanotechnology has already been introduced silently. The critical length
scale of integrated circuits is already at the nanoscale (50 nm and below) regarding the
gate length of transistors in CPUs or DRAM devices.

Memory Storage

Electronic memory designs in the past have largely relied on the formation of transistors.
However, research into crossbar switch based electronics have offered an alternative
using reconfigurable interconnections between vertical and horizontal wiring arrays to
create ultra high density memories. Two leaders in this area are Nantero which has
developed a carbon nanotube based crossbar memory called Nano-RAM and Hewlett-
Packard which has proposed the use of memristor material as a future replacement of
Flash memory.

Novel semiconductor devices

An example of such novel devices is based on spintronics.The dependence of the

resistance of a material (due to the spin of the electrons) on an external field is called
magnetoresistance. This effect can be significantly amplified (GMR - Giant Magneto-
Resistance) for nanosized objects, for example when two ferromagnetic layers are
separated by a nonmagnetic layer, which is several nanometers thick (e.g. Co-Cu-Co).
The GMR effect has led to a strong increase in the data storage density of hard disks and
made the gigabyte range possible. The so called tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) is
very similar to GMR and based on the spin dependent tunneling of electrons through
adjacent ferromagnetic layers. Both GMR and TMR effects can be used to create a non-
volatile main memory for computers, such as the so called magnetic random access
memory or MRAM.

In 1999, the ultimate CMOS transistor developed at the Laboratory for Electronics and
Information Technology in Grenoble, France, tested the limits of the principles of the
MOSFET transistor with a diameter of 18 nm (approximately 70 atoms placed side by
side). This was almost one tenth the size of the smallest industrial transistor in 2003
(130 nm in 2003, 90 nm in 2004, 65 nm in 2005 and 45 nm in 2007). It enabled the
theoretical integration of seven billion junctions on a €1 coin. However, the CMOS
transistor, which was created in 1999, was not a simple research experiment to study how
CMOS technology functions, but rather a demonstration of how this technology functions
now that we ourselves are getting ever closer to working on a molecular scale. Today it
would be impossible to master the coordinated assembly of a large number of these
transistors on a circuit and it would also be impossible to create this on an industrial
level.[8]

Novel optoelectronic devices

In the modern communication technology traditional analog electrical devices are

increasingly replaced by optical or optoelectronic devices due to their enormous
bandwidth and capacity, respectively. Two promising examples are photonic crystals and
quantum dots. Photonic crystals are materials with a periodic variation in the refractive
index with a lattice constant that is half the wavelength of the light used. They offer a
selectable band gap for the propagation of a certain wavelength, thus they resemble a
semiconductor, but for light or photons instead of electrons. Quantum dots are nanoscaled
objects, which can be used, among many other things, for the construction of lasers. The
advantage of a quantum dot laser over the traditional semiconductor laser is that their
emitted wavelength depends on the diameter of the dot. Quantum dot lasers are cheaper
and offer a higher beam quality than conventional laser diodes.
Displays

The production of displays with low energy consumption could be accomplished using
carbon nanotubes (CNT). Carbon nanotubes are electrically conductive and due to their
small diameter of several nanometers, they can be used as field emitters with extremely
high efficiency for field emission displays (FED). The principle of operation resembles
that of the cathode ray tube, but on a much smaller length scale.

Quantum computers

Main article: Quantum computer

Entirely new approaches for computing exploit the laws of quantum mechanics for novel
quantum computers, which enable the use of fast quantum algorithms. The Quantum
computer has quantum bit memory space termed "Qubit" for several computations at the
same time. This facility may improve the performance of the older systems.

Heavy Industry
An inevitable use of nanotechnology will be in heavy industry.

Aerospace

Lighter and stronger materials will be of immense use to aircraft manufacturers, leading
to increased performance. Spacecraft will also benefit, where weight is a major factor.
Nanotechnology would help to reduce the size of equipment and thereby decrease fuel-
consumption required to get it airborne.

Hang gliders may be able to halve their weight while increasing their strength and
toughness through the use of nanotech materials. Nanotech is lowering the mass of
supercapacitors that will increasingly be used to give power to assistive electrical motors
for launching hang gliders off flatland to thermal-chasing altitudes.

Construction

Nanotechnology has the potential to make construction faster, cheaper, safer, and more
varied. Automation of nanotechnology construction can allow for the creation of
structures from advanced homes to massive skyscrapers much more quickly and at much
lower cost.

Nanotechnology and constructions

Nanotechnology is one of the most active research areas that encompass a number of
disciplines Such as electronics, bio-mechanics and coatings including civil engineering
and construction materials.
The use of nanotechnology in construction involves the development of new concept and
understanding of the hydration of cement particles and the use of nano-size ingredients
such as alumina and silica and other nanoparticles. The manufactures also investigating
the methods of manufacturing of nano-cement. If cement with nano-size particles can be
manufactured and processed, it will open up a large number of opportunities in the fields
of ceramics, high strength composites and electronic applications. Since at the nanoscale
the properties of the material are different from that of their bulk counter parts. When
materials becomes nano-sized, the proportion of atoms on the surface increases relative to
those inside and this leads to novel properties. Some applications of nanotechnology in
construction are describe below.

Nanoparticles and steel

Steel has been widely available material and has a major role in the construction industry.
The use of nanotechnology in steel helps to improve the properties of steel. The
fatigue ,which lead to the structural failure of steel due to cyclic loading, such as in
bridges or towers.The current steel designs are based on the reduction in the allowable
stress, service life or regular inspection regime. This has a significant impact on the life-
cycle costs of structures and limits the effective use of resources.The Stress risers are
responsible for initiating cracks from which fatigue failure results .The addition of copper
nanoparticles reduces the surface un-evenness of steel which then limits the number of
stress risers and hence fatigue cracking. Advancements in this technology using
nanoparticles would lead to increased safety, less need for regular inspection regime and
more efficient materials free from fatigue issues for construction.

The nano-size steel produce stronger steel cables which can be in bridge construction
.Also these stronger cable material would reduce the costs and period of construction,
especially in suspension bridges as the cables are run from end to end of the span.This
would require high strength joints which leads to the need for high strength bolts. The
capacity of high strength bolts is obtained through quenching and tempering .The
microstructures of such products consist of tempered martensite. When the tensile
strength of tempered martensite steel exceeds 1,200 MPa even a very small amount of
hydrogen embrittles the grain boundaries and the steel material may fail during use. This
phenomenon, which is known as delayed fracture, which hindered the strengthening of
steel bolts and their highest strength is limited to only around 1,000 to 1,200 MPa.

The use of vanadium and molybdenum nanoparticles improves the delayed fracture
problems associated with high strength bolts reducing the effects of hydrogen
embrittlement and improving the steel micro-structure through reducing the effects of the
inter-granular cementite phase.

Welds and the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) adjacent to welds can be brittle and fail
without warning when subjected to sudden dynamic loading.The addition of
nanoparticles of magnesium and calcium makes the HAZ grains finer in plate steel and
this leads to an increase in weld toughness. The increase in toughness at would result in a
smaller resource requirement because less material is required in order to keep stresses
within allowable limits.The carbon nanotubes are exciting material with tremendous
properties of strength and stiffness, they have found little application as compared to
steel,because it is difficult to bind them with bulk material and they pull out easily,
Which make them ineffective in construction materials.

Nanoparticles in glass

The glass is also an important material in construction.There is a lot of research being

carried out on the application of nanotechnology to glass.Titanium dioxide (TiO2)
nanoparticles are used to coat glazing since it has sterilizing and anti-fouling properties.
The particles catalyze powerful reactions which breakdown organic pollutants, volatile
organic compounds and bacterial membranes.

The TiO2 is hydrophilic (attraction to water) which can attract rain drops which then
wash off the dirt particles.Thus the introduction of nanotechnology in the Glass industry,
incorporates the self cleaning property of glass. Fire-protective glass is another
application of nanotechnology. This is achieved by using a clear intumescent layer
sandwiched between glass panels (an interlayer) formed of silica nanoparticles (SiO2)
which turns into a rigid and opaque fire shield when heated.Most of glass in construction
is on the exterior surface of buildings .So the light and heat entering the building through
glass has to be prevented. The nanotechnology can provide a better solution to block light
and heat coming through windows.

Nanoparticles in coatings

Coatings is an important area in construction.coatings are extensively use to paint the

walls ,doors and windows.Coatings should provides a protective layer which is bound to
the base material to produce a surface of the desired protective or functional properties.
The coatings should have self healing capabilities through a process of “self-
assembly”.Nanotechnology is being applied to paints to obtained the coatings having self
healing capabilities and corrosion protection under insulation.Since these coatings are
hydrophobic and repels water from the metal pipe and can also protect metal from salt
water attack. Nanoparticle based systems can provide better adhesion and transparency
.The TiO2 coating captures and breaks down organic and inorganic air pollutants by a
photocatalytic process ,which leads to putting roads to good environmental use.

Nanoparticles in fire protection and detection

Fire resistance of steel structures is often provided by a coating produced by a spray-

oncementitious process.The nano-cement has the potential to create a new paradigm in
this area of application because the resulting material can be used as a tough, durable,
high temperature coating. It provides a good method of increasing fire resistance and this
is a cheaper option than conventional insulation.

Risks of using nanoparticles in construction

In building construction nanomaterials are widely used from self-cleaning windows to
flexible solar panels to wi-fi blocking paint. The self-healing concrete, materials to block
ultraviolet and infrared radiation, smog-eating coatings and light-emitting walls and
ceilings are the new nanomaterials in construction. Nanotechnology is a promise for
making the “smart home” a reality. Nanotech-enabled sensors can monitor temperature,
humidity, and airborne toxins which needs nanotech based improved batteries.The
building components will be intelligent and interactive since the sensor uses wireless
components,it can collect the wide range of data.

If the nanosensors and nanomaterials becomes a every day part of the buildings to make
them intelligent,what are the consequences of these materials on human beings?

1.Effect of nanoparticles on health and environment: Nanoparticles may also enter the
body if building water supplies are filtered through commercially available nanofilters.
Airborne and waterborne nanoparticles enter from building ventilation and wastewater
systems. 2. Effect of nanoparticles on societal issues: As sensors become more common
place,a loss of privacy may result from users interacting with increasingly intelligent
building components.The technology at one side has the advantages of new building
material. The otherside it has the fear of risk arises from these materials. However, the
overall performance of nanomaterials to date, is that valuable opportunities to improve
building performance, user health and environmental quality .

Vehicle manufacturers

Much like aerospace, lighter and stronger materials will be useful for creating vehicles
that are both faster and safer. Combustion engines will also benefit from parts that are
more hard-wearing and more heat-resistant.

Consumer goods
Nanotechnology is already impacting the field of consumer goods, providing products
with novel functions ranging from easy-to-clean to scratch-resistant. Modern textiles are
wrinkle-resistant and stain-repellent; in the mid-term clothes will become “smart”,
through embedded “wearable electronics”. Already in use are different nanoparticle
improved products. Especially in the field of cosmetics, such novel products have a
promising potential.

Foods

Complex set of engineering and scientific challenges in the food and bioprocessing
industry for manufacturing high quality and safe food through efficient and sustainable
means can be solved through nanotechnology. Bacteria identification and food quality
monitoring using biosensors; intelligent, active, and smart food packaging systems;
nanoencapsulation of bioactive food compounds are few examples of emerging
applications of nanotechnology for the food industry.[9] Nanotechnology can be applied in
the production, processing, safety and packaging of food. A nanocomposite coating
process could improve food packaging by placing anti-microbial agents directly on the
surface of the coated film. Nanocomposites could increase or decrease gas permeability
of different fillers as is needed for different products. They can also improve the
mechanical and heat-resistance properties and lower the oxygen transmission rate.
Research is being performed to apply nanotechnology to the detection of chemical and
biological substances for sensanges in foods.

Nano-foods

New foods are among the nanotechnology-created consumer products coming onto the
market at the rate of 3 to 4 per week, according to the Project on Emerging
Nanotechnologies (PEN), based on an inventory it has drawn up of 609 known or
claimed nano-products.

On PEN's list are three foods—a brand of canola cooking oil called Canola Active Oil, a
tea called Nanotea and a chocolate diet shake called Nanoceuticals Slim Shake
Chocolate.

According to company information posted on PEN's Web site, the canola oil, by Shemen
Industries of Israel, contains an additive called "nanodrops" designed to carry vitamins,
minerals and phytochemicals through the digestive system and urea.[10]

The shake, according to U.S. manufacturer RBC Life Sciences Inc., uses cocoa infused
"NanoClusters" to enhance the taste and health benefits of cocoa without the need for
extra sugar.[11]

Household

The most prominent application of nanotechnology in the household is self-cleaning or

“easy-to-clean” surfaces on ceramics or glasses. Nanoceramic particles have improved
the smoothness and heat resistance of common household equipment such as the flat iron.

Optics

The first sunglasses using protective and anti-reflective ultrathin polymer coatings are on
the market. For optics, nanotechnology also offers scratch resistant surface coatings
based on nanocomposites. Nano-optics could allow for an increase in precision of pupil
repair and other types of laser eye surgery.

Textiles

The use of engineered nanofibers already makes clothes water- and stain-repellent or
wrinkle-free. Textiles with a nanotechnological finish can be washed less frequently and
at lower temperatures. Nanotechnology has been used to integrate tiny carbon particles
membrane and guarantee full-surface protection from electrostatic charges for the wearer.
Many other applications have been developed by research institutions such as the Textiles
Nanotechnology Laboratory at Cornell University, and the UK's Dstl and its spin out
company P2i.

Cosmetics

One field of application is in sunscreens. The traditional chemical UV protection

approach suffers from its poor long-term stability. A sunscreen based on mineral
nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide offer several advantages. Titanium oxide
nanoparticles have a comparable UV protection property as the bulk material, but lose the
cosmetically undesirable whitening as the particle size is decreased.

Agriculture

Applications of nanotechnology have the potential to change the entire agriculture sector
and food industry chain from production to conservation, processing, packaging,
transportation, and even waste treatment. NanoScience concepts and Nanotechnology
applications have the potential to redesign the production cycle, restructure the
processing and conservation processes and redefine the food habits of the people.

Major Challenges related to agriculture like Low productivity in cultivable areas, Large
uncultivable areas,Shrinkage of cultivable lands, Wastage of inputs like water, fertilizers,
pesticides, Wastage of products and of course Food security for growing numbers can be
addressed through various applications of nanotechnology.More information on
http://www.sainsce.com/agriculture.aspx

References
1. ^ University of Waterloo, Nanotechnology in Targeted Cancer Therapy,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBjWwlnq3cA 15 January 2010

^ Abraham, Sathya Achia (20). "Researchers Develop Buckyballs to Fight Allergy". Virginia
Commonwealth University Communications and Public Relations.
http://www.news.vcu.edu/news/Researchers_Develop_Buckyballs_to_Fight_Allergy. Retrieved 4
November 2010.