Scientific Sunday#7- Nanotechnology

(TopTrending Friday is taking a break for today and is being replaced by the popular Scientific Sunday series!)

Nanotechnology

Over the past 1000 years, our knowledge, technology and civilization had sky- rocketed. Our lifestyle has since greatly improved- from safety to transportation and communication. Many inventions of the past were revolutionary, and has massive contribution to society and humanity till now. Take for example the printing press, the light bulb, the Internet and many more to go. Many people think these, what we are having right now is essentially the peak, and anything above that is only science fiction. But is it true that we are at the top of possible technology already? To be honest, I don’t know where the boundary of possible technology is, but there is one thing I am certain about -we cannot be at the top without this potentially revolutionary technology: Nanotechnology. So what exactly does the word nanotechnology mean?  The term nano, is a unit of measurement for very very small things. So small that humans can't see it with the naked eye. To put that in perspective, one centimeter is about 1 million nanometers. Nanotechnology first came about as an idea in 1959, but not until 1980 was the first nanotechnology-based machine made, the scanning tunneling microscope.

The first scanning tunneling microscope!

How can such technology benefit us you ask? Well, there are in fact countless ways that it can. By filling nanotubes with titanium oxide and applying them to cotton, you can create T-shirts that blocks ultraviolet rays. Fill nanorods with gold, and you can develop a therapy that affects only cancer cells, leaving healthy cells alone. The nanotube's carbon membrane can dramatically improve water purification systems. For now, nanotech is still unheard of by many, but I believe that if we put extra effort in developing nanotechnology, in less than a few decades, people will be using smart phones which batteries last twice as long, using windshields that won’t fog and wearing clothes that never get smelly. Nanotechnology has the potential to contribute to nearly every aspect of our lives.

All hail nanotechnology!

Quantum Mechanics

Before we could work with nanomaterials, we have to understand them. Thankfully, brilliant physicists have came up with Quantum Mechanics (it employs mathematics to predict the behavior of very small units of energy and matter). The two most important scientist for Quantum Mechanics are Max Planck (who in 1900 stated that light was made up of specific”quanta”s of energy) and Niels Bohr (who stated a theory of how an atom works in 1922). These were good theories, but theories are ought to be proven by direct experiments before we can say they are true. It was tough for them because atoms were too small to observe. Finally, about 60 years later, it can be proven when physicists Gerd Binning and Heinrich Rohrer developed the first working scanning tunneling microscope. The microscope could actually see individual atoms! 

Odor Reducing Fabrics

Tired of smelly socks? Nanoparticles of silver can take care of that problem for you, so you don’t have to worry about those anymore! Researchers at the Southern Regional Research Center, operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, are working on a method to inhibit microbial growth in cotton. Using minute silver particle ranging from two to six nanometers in size, this method can be applied to all cotton fabrics. The silver acts as a catalyst and has a finely tuned germicidal effect: it kills unwanted, odor-producing bacteria.

Fact: Humans have been using silver to fight infections for over 6000 years. Even modern hospitals still value naturally occurring silver nanoparticles to help clean dangerous bacteria, and kill ”superbugs” resistant to traditional antibiotics.

With this, we definitely won't be seeing these kind of signs around!

Flexible LED Displays

If you are the kind of person that often drops your phone or tablet and cracks the screen, then I have a great news for you, the flexible OLED display. OLED stands for organic light display screens, and researchers are investigating methods of creating OLED displays that could be flexed but doesn’t crack or break. Not only will the screens be much lighter in weight, they would also be able to provide high-definition displays, and would require less energy, allowing your phone to last twice as long. Flexible displays will allow users to roll up or fold their electronic devices, making it convenient for keeping. In order to compete with current displays, the OLEDs will need to be highly conductive, transparent and flexible. Several alternative ways to achieve the goal are now under development. Though the price tag remains high...

A few of the methods are, using silver nanowires that are deposited on plastic sheets, using sheets of Metallica-Carbon nanotubes, and also Grapheme, a one-atom-thick carbon matrix. University of Arizona has also manufactured a flexible OLED using advanced mixed oxide-thin film transistors. The Korean electronics company Samsung is too, developing a version of flexible OLED using plastic, and Sony Corporation is developing a version that uses an organic transistor.

Who DOESN'T want a flexible phone!?

Saving Lives

Cancer, is a deadly sickness that kills countless people. For centuries, people have tried to find the ultimate cure for cancer, and now there is a way. Imagine being injected with nanorods containing gold that target only cancer cells. In a process developed by researchers at MIT, the University of California, San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara. The gold nanorods are absorbed by healthy blood cells. However, blood cells within a tumor are leaky and allow the nanorods to enter the tumor, where they build. An infrared laser heats the tumor cells, and this heat causes them to release a specific protein. Molecules of chemotherapy are inserted and, thanks to the nanorods, they attach themselves to the tumor cells. Instead of every cell receiving this treatment, healthy cells are undisturbed and side effects are reduced. 

Can't wait to see these signs being shown!

Self-Cleaning Glass

Nowadays most modern commercial buildings are covered in glass. It looks better and saves light electricity. But there’s one major disadvantage: cleaning all that glass will cost time and money. Fortunately, nanotechnology solves this, the glass is coated with a thin film of Titanium Dioxide, which reacts with sunlight to break down dirt on the glass. Next, the rain will do the washing!

Notice the difference?

Water and Air Purification

Scientist have discovered that nanotube carbon membranes have an equal or faster flow rate in purifying water than traditional filters. The nanotube membranes can filter and remove everything from oil and microorganisms to viruses and organic containments. Nanotech filters also cost less and are easier to clean. Gold plays an important role in air purification system, energized gold nanoparticles can destroy airborne pollutants such as volatile organic compounds.

Nanotechnology is sure to have a huge impact on water purification!

Thanks for reading