Nanotechnology--What Is It?
Jamie Earle
Issue date: 12/3/01 Section: Technology
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Nanotechnology. No, this is not a high-tech gadget used by Mork in the cheesy 70s sitcom, Mork & Mindy. And no, it’s not a state-of-the-art way to make the Indian bread, nan.
Taken literally, “nano” refers to the figure 10-9, or one-billionth. But nanotechnology is a catchall term for technology development/activities that take place at the atomic or molecular level. The National Technology Initiative refers to it as: “…the ability to work at a molecular level, atom by atom, to create large structures with fundamentally new molecular organization.”
Why would you want to work at the molecular level? According to CMP Cientifica, “at the nanoscale different laws of physics come into play…properties of traditional materials change…” For example, “you can make a material ten times as strong and durable as steel for the same mass.”
But what does nanotechnology really do? Well, it has different impacts depending on which industry you consider. Four main industries influenced by nanotechnology include: i) materials and manufacturing; ii) computers, iii) health and medicine; and iv) aeronautics and space.
Materials and manufacturing
By reducing the microstructure of materials such as metals and ceramics, one can change those materials’ properties such as weight and strength. For example, scientists can create super-thin laminates and coatings that are stronger and more heat-resistant than anything on the market. One such example is a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), a substance that self-forms into a one-molecule thick layer. The picture shows a schematic structure of an alkanethiolate SAM.
Computers
Nanotechnology promises much progress in computing, particularly in semiconductors and storage. Intel claims: “Future devices will require extremely thin, high quality films only a few atomic monolayers thick.” Nanostructured microprocessor, memory and storage devices promise to deliver lower energy use and cost, even to the tune of “improving the efficacy of computers by a factor of millions” (National Nanotechnology Initiative).
Taken literally, “nano” refers to the figure 10-9, or one-billionth. But nanotechnology is a catchall term for technology development/activities that take place at the atomic or molecular level. The National Technology Initiative refers to it as: “…the ability to work at a molecular level, atom by atom, to create large structures with fundamentally new molecular organization.”
Why would you want to work at the molecular level? According to CMP Cientifica, “at the nanoscale different laws of physics come into play…properties of traditional materials change…” For example, “you can make a material ten times as strong and durable as steel for the same mass.”
But what does nanotechnology really do? Well, it has different impacts depending on which industry you consider. Four main industries influenced by nanotechnology include: i) materials and manufacturing; ii) computers, iii) health and medicine; and iv) aeronautics and space.
Materials and manufacturing
By reducing the microstructure of materials such as metals and ceramics, one can change those materials’ properties such as weight and strength. For example, scientists can create super-thin laminates and coatings that are stronger and more heat-resistant than anything on the market. One such example is a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), a substance that self-forms into a one-molecule thick layer. The picture shows a schematic structure of an alkanethiolate SAM.
Computers
Nanotechnology promises much progress in computing, particularly in semiconductors and storage. Intel claims: “Future devices will require extremely thin, high quality films only a few atomic monolayers thick.” Nanostructured microprocessor, memory and storage devices promise to deliver lower energy use and cost, even to the tune of “improving the efficacy of computers by a factor of millions” (National Nanotechnology Initiative).
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