Nanosensors — The Best of Modern Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the epitome of this modern day and age. The ability to create minuscule machines to do our bidding with minimal programming required is an asset to modern man, and an unprecedented feat compared to other eras. But with nanosensers, things just got to a whole other level.
Nanotechnology is the design, application, and production of nano scale materials, structures, and systems. Nanosensors are a type of nanotechnology that are equipped with their own power supply, computation abilities, the ability to scan the area and record whatever data they were made for, and are able to communicate with other nanosensors that are close by. Due to their extremely small size, comparable to flecks of dust, they are also known as “smart motes” as well as “smart dust” sensors.
What makes nanosensors so important? Well for starters, like other forms of nanotechnology, their small size results in efficient usage of space and storage. According to www.britannica.com, nanosensors also “…exhibit unprecedented speed and sensitivity, extending in some cases down to the detection of single molecules.”. Considering the sheer smallness of a molecule, the fact is amazing in itself. But when considering the uses of nanosensors, they become all the more stunning. Whether it’s used in agriculture, tracking and intelligence, environmental reasons, or the healthcare industry, nanosensors are really outdoing themselves. For example, some nanosensors are used to help with the diagnostic side of things in hospitals, such as measuring the temperature, and blood pressure of a patient. They are also being used to determine the diagnosis of a patient by inserting the nanosensor in their body instead of resorting to more intrusive procedures such as surgery. All in all, nanosensors are really heightening the potential of success in these fields, and are becoming necessities for efficient work. Important as they are in these fields already, with further development they may soon become an irreplaceable part of our daily lives.
How do these astounding devices work the way they do? Well, all nanosensors have the following four parts: an analyte, a sensor, a transducer, and a detector. The way these four parts work together depends on the type of sensory system the device was built with. There are two main types of nanosensors that have different sensory systems — chemical nanosensors and mechanical nanosensors. Chemical nanosensors function by measuring the changes of electrical conductivity of the nanomaterial they were built with, after the detection of an analyte. These changes are easily noticeable by the transducer since many nanomaterials are strong conductors of electricity, and their high conductivity reduces upon the binding or adsorption of another molecule. When this occurs, the chemical sensor measures the change. In contrast, while mechanical sensors also use electricity in their sensory system, their mechanism for sensing is entirely different. The nanomaterials in mechanical sensors change their level of electrical conductivity when the material is physically manipulated, thus causing a detectable that is measured by the sensor. The detector part of the nanosensor is mostly used to provide feedback in both types of nanosensor systems.
The way the sensors work heavily depends on how they are made and the materials with which they are built. The process of how nanosensors are made is known as nanofabrication, and there are currently two main methods of nanofabrication: top-down and bottom-up. With the top-down approach to nano-fabrication, scientists ‘sculpt’ the nano-technology by etching away at the material, through a process called nanolithography. This process has a relatively short execution time, which is why the top-down method is generally the preferred method out of the two. However, the tools required for this method can be very expensive, and the results are not easily replicable. With bottom-up fabrication, atoms are placed on top of one another by scientists to create the desired molecules and thereby the ideal nanostructure. It’s like building a brick house by placing bricks on top of each other one at a time, using atoms instead of bricks. Unlike the top-down method, this approach involves building on to the existing material rather than removing the material, and has a longer execution time. However, the tools needed are not as expensive, and it is easier to replicate the results.
Unfortunately, nanofabrication comes with its own set of problems. For starters, nano-technology can sometimes be very expensive, both for its production (depending on the method used) and for purchasing it! Furthermore, the top-down method of fabrication is not able to produce many different types of nanotechnology and is not cost-effective, while the bottom-up approach is just straight-up time-consuming. Also, nanotechnology can quickly become ineffective if subject to contamination, contact with unwanted particles (usually air particles), or abrasion. To add on, with increasing demand for nanotechnology, more workers are needed for the manufacturing process!
Luckily, solutions are being made. Scientists and engineers continue to experiment and create materials and methods that are better suited and cost-effective for making nanotechnology. People have also developed ways to get around the negatives of each respective method of fabrication, such as using self-assembly with the bottom-up approach to speed up the fabrication process — an approach where the atoms are placed in an environment where they can connect together and evolve to their final state on their own. In addition, people are starting to promote nanotechnology to students to get more people to commit to a career in the field. People are also trying to make nanosensors and other nanotechnology last longer by sterilizing rooms where the technology is made, and avoiding the use of contaminated tools during the manufacturing process.
As for me, I’ve thought of my own suggestions to these issues. To start off, people should continue to experiment with the top-down and bottom-up approaches to get them to be even more effective, by seeing how they can continue to strengthen their strengths and improve on their weaknesses. One idea on how to go about this is to try combining aspects of both approaches to see if we can get the best of both worlds! Also, people can continue experimenting with materials for this technology to make them more cost-effective during production and affordable for purchase, thereby increasing the amount of consumers as well as profits for the manufacturing corporations. Lastly, people can try to promote nanotechnology to students at a more early age — many students don’t even hear the word until they reach their last years of high school and have already made decisions on what to pursue in post-secondary! Getting students exposed to the verbiage at an earlier age will increase the likelihood of more students that grow up with aspirations to pursue a career in nanotechnology.
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