How nanotechnology will drive the wheels of future
There is a running gag that human intelligence unlike Earth’s average temperature is declining. Now,whether that is true or not must be confined to the comment section of Facebook and regardless of how we devour any conception we do it on the basis of an electronic device usually,the device which have significantly changed through out decades. I do not want to ignite nostalgia here by reminding about the 1980s or 1990s but compare the phone you owned in 2010 and the one you own now. Both of these years are even in the very same decade but yet you can notice the drastic change in the myriad amount of categories ranging from size to configuration. So what happened? The answer is Nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology has been constantly shaping human society for quite a while now and whether we are aware or not,nanotechnology has effected our life perhaps for good. It is something that has been and will drive the train of human progress but the question to consider is how and in what ways exactly is it ushering us to the destination of progress and it is very substantial to know this.
Let’s talk about its roles in Medical Science. In spite of the fact that we contemptuously swank about human achievements we have almost equal share of things to be not proud of and being unable to completely terminate modern day equivalent of plague i.e cancer is one of those. But perhaps with nanotechnology we may be able to be free from it just like we have eradicated smallpox. But before mentioning about its procedure let’s bring in an evolutionary term called Nanoscale Medical Lab. It is basically a device in the shape of a chip which performs laboratory functions on an integrated circuit. It will help to diagnose the physical problem on an individual by scanning properly and denoting it before any severe consequence which will make the medical treatment more precise and efficient. Now,it will also introduce the nanomedicine which will do the work of sensing,purifying blood via nano medical lab or Lab on a Chip (LOC). But speaking of nanomedical let me mention Biosensors. These are basically sensors made of nanowire or carbon nanotube which are fitted into the lab on a chip or nano medical lab which will not only sense the problems inside the body but also provide nanometer resolution to probe single molecules of DNA or proteins thus allowing scientists to take electrical,electro chemical and electrophysiology measurements of individual cells. But the benefit of this is not just confined to medical treatment or research but also in disease identifying techniques as well. The term molecular imaging is a relatively new term which will help the physicians and medical researchers to study and understand how a disease spreads and what are the factors effecting the body in a molecular level basically a super x-ray vision. It will also help to see whether the treatment for the disease is working properly or not and study how each procedure is influencing at the molecular level. Finally,nanotechnology will also help to map our DNA and this is important because mapping DNA can indicate an individual’s likelihood of forming some diseases and find which drugs will be the most efficient for treatment. Although currently fluorescent dye is used to map our DNA but nanotechnology can make it even more precise.
But that is the medical industry. How is the manufacturing industry going to be endorsed by nanotechnology. Manufacturing is not just confined to one thing,it involves procedures greatly different from each other and much of it depends on the materials used. A trend and emphasization these days is to utilize materials which are lighter,stronger and low cost at the same time. It’s like being an engineer with great pugilistic and investment skills and somehow writing a book in philosophy and European Music History. Is it possible? Debatable. But maybe nanotechnology has started to bring quite a lot of changes in the field of material science thus enhancing the strength of any structure. Researchers in MIT have developed a process involving carbon nanotubes and carbon fibers which in the right alignment will hold the fibres together and improve the properties of the composite. Besides another new technology called nano-spaced stacking faults when introduced to the crystalline structure of magnesium alloy will make it even stronger and new materials like Graphene (which will have a blog on itself) will enhance the strength to weight ratio of materials. Now,one thing to consider is that concretes are very prone to stress and corrosion which is a very huge and expensive problem but nanomaterials can create a solution to this problem not only by protecting the structure from potential crack and corrosion but also by monitoring the structures. Researchers have developed a wireless and nano-based technologies to develop a real time,low cost sensing system which can detect the presence of cracks through monitoring. Finally,it will also solve problems in ‘Problem Solving’. These days Zinc is used as a material for corrosion protection which does have environmental backlash as well. So,nano particles like polyaniline epoxy and nanomaterial enhanced Calcium Sulfonate alkyd can be used for the purpose of producing coatings which will protect the steel from corrosion and it will both reduce the maintenance cost as well as environmental damage.
But what about military? It must have certain improvements as well. As a matter of fact,it does. Military improvement just does not indicate warfare technology but also certain aspects which helps to ensure security and tranquility for the citizens. But nanotechnology has mostly helped through advancements in military uniforms. Much of the hard training has to be undergone in extreme conditions which are really uncomfortable for an individual but it intensifies depending on what he or she is wearing. Nanotechnology will create better uniforms which are less prone to exasperation and help to ensure better and more standard military duty. It will also create sensors and enhance the standard of military vehicle.
These days,information is readily available and compared to previous decade we can send or receive information at even faster rate. But it is about to get even more faster through the use of nanotechnology. Already, information is transferred quickly due to fiber optics which is a part of nanotechnology but with current and future advancements of electronic devices it will be even more efficient. Technologies like Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) will be able to quickly and effectively save data during a system shutdown. It will also introduce flash memory chips for smart phones and thumb drives, antimicrobial coating for keyboard and much more. But one of the major revolution will take place in television. It will use Quantum dots. What is Quantum Dots? Basically semiconductor crystals in nanoscale dimensions which has distinctive conductive properties determined by its size. So,through using quantum dots television will have more vibrant colors and be more energy efficient provided that it still remains popular. Finally,soldering will also improve. Currently lead based solder is being used but in the future nanoscale Copper suspensions will be used for soldering which are more safer,cheaper and reliable.
But,transistors will certainly face revolutionary changes. At the beginning of the 21st century the transistors were just 130 to 250 nanometers in size but now it has decrease to only one nanometer in size and has become way more efficient as well. So that indicates a small tiny chip will hold the entire memory of a computer. The main aim is to improve display screens of electronic devices,reduce power consumption and also reduction in shape and size of the electronic components. Researchers are currently working with Silicon nanophotonics components and by integrating it into CMO integrated circuits the transmission speed between integrated circuits will likely excel. Optical fiber is currently regarded as the king of information transmission but what if I tell you that a new king will take control of the throne because researchers at Caltech have demonstrated a laser that uses a nanopatterned silicon surface to produce light with much tighter frequency control. So,data rates for information transmission will be much higher. But that’s enough of transmission. What about something that causes so many electronic devices to function. I mean batteries. Researchers at different universities are coming up with new techniques which will enhance the quality of batteries. Some of these results include using Silicon nanoparticles in the anode of the Lithium ion battery which will drastically reduce the time period required for recharging, electrodes with much longer lifetime has been demonstrated where nanowires are used, using carbon nanotubes on a substrate as cathode and anode in a Lithium Ion battery which will increase the power density of Lithium ion battery by 100 times, using Carbon nanofibers to make Lithium ion battery to enhance its storage capacity by four times and much more.
But battery in general will enhance which also means that batteries in automobile will excel in quality as well and that indicates that the propulsion quality will get better and electric cars can surpass traditional cars in demand. But it is not just batteries that will have significant improvements. In an automobile from tires to electrical system everything will have more better quality which will ensure more comfort and efficiency while driving. Firstly, the major priority for an engineer is to reduce weight while increasing the strength. So,nano engineered thermoplastic materials can most certainly reduce weight and nano particles can also reduce engine weight which can further increase fuel efficiency. But fuel makes the vehicle move provided that there are better tires. So,tire is a very important part to consider which has been developed consecutively through nano particles so that it has better grip,high temperature resistance,wear and tear resistance and much more. Although the world is passing through the jollification of electric car revolution we still have a lot of years to witness it completely take over, might be even slower in the developing world. So,it is necessary to make the fuel cell cars less responsible for carbon emission. Hydrogen sensors detects leak before the gas becomes an explosive hazard. But even these sensors are enhanced with nanoparticles. It is worth knowing that 10–15 percent of the fuel consumption depends on energy friction due to friction loss at Mechanical parts like piston,crank and much more but with nano coating and nano structured lubricants friction is reduced and fuel efficiency is established.
Fuel efficiency is quite important as it plays a vital role in protecting the environment along with cleaner energy sources. But there are some interesting ways through which nanotechnology can ensure cleaner energy. These include nano-engineered polymer matrix which will produce high efficiency light bulbs, using nanotube filled epoxies which will increase the quality of wind blades, generating power through wasted heat or energy by using advanced thermodynamics techniques, declining the cost of solar panels, finding more convenient,cheaper and easier method of acquiring electricity,declining the cost of fuel cells and apparently much more which will surely shape the future of human civilization.
A very good thing about this is that a lot of countries are doing a lot to construct a future even brighter. Switzerland stands out as the best country in Europe with researches in this field as it had 198 scientific articles per million population in the year 2013. But in the case of patents per 100 articles the United States takes the lead. Besides the country has allotted $1.4 billion from President’s 2019 budget to the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). But it is not just confined to United States or the countries in Europe. BRICS countries are also doing astoundingly well. In China, advanced manufacturing is one of the main focus of the 16 mega-engineering programme to 2020 and they are investing a lot in this technology as well. Russia,Brazil and India have been highly investing in this technology as well.
So,nanotechnology is something that holds a bright future for us. I have already explained how this technology will make any process even more precise and enhance the quality. It is something where the entire world must collaborate together and endorse progress through more fascinating innovation. This technology may actually solve many problems of the current time and establish a very bright future. For which we have to be patient,witness,learn and contribute goodness.
