Lesson 5

Benefits and Issues of

Nanotechnology

Introduction
In the pursuit of science and technology, humans are now dealing more and more with a world
not seen by the naked eye. This is no surprise as the study of science keeps leading us beyond the
world of everyday. The information we search for is always available in nature, but we need
tools to harvest it. The nano world, like the other scientific principles, provides both knowledge
and instrument to control nature.

Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. define the major potential and realize impacts of nanotechnology on society;
2. analyze nanotechnology through the conceptual STS lenses; and
3. examine the costs and benefits to society of nanotechnology.

Duration
Lesson 10: Benefits and Issues of Nanotechnology = 3 hours

Lesson Proper
A. WHY NANO?
The term “nano” refers to a unit meaning one billionth or ten raised to negative nine (10 -9). For
example, a nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Hence, “nano” expresses a very tiny amount or
size.

Source: https://chembam.com/definitions/nanotechnology/

Figure 10.1. The Nanoscale

A particle of beach sand is almost ten times larger than a pollen grain. Nanostructures can be
found in nature. Catalysts, minerals, and other particles are measured on a nano scale. A single
strand of DNA is about three nanometers wide. Nanoscience, therefore, deals with materials that
are very small using specialized microscopes and other nanodevices
Just as we are not aware of the air we breathe or the molecules constantly feeding our cells at
every second, we are also not conscious of these very little particles. Since the nano world cannot
be seen by the naked eye, it was only recognized and identified after technology has allowed for
the discovery of nanostructures. Without the microscope and its attendant technology, people
would not even be aware of how this tiny world surrounds and affects us. But what is the
purpose of dealing with such small entities?

Nanotechnology refers to the manipulation of matter on an atomic or subatomic scale. Some

innovations developed in this field include microprocessors and strain-resistant fabrics. In the
future, as nanoscience and nanotechnology progress, more breakthroughs are expected to arise in
the different fields of science, hopefully resolving problems in health, environment, and security,
among others.

B. THE NATURE OF NANO WOLRD

The Latin word of Nano is “nenus” which means dwarf. Hence, nano means extremely small.
Nano world literally means “small world”

Nano world is the global market leader for tips for Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) and
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The AFM is the defining instrument for the whole field of
nanoscience and nanotechnology. The Nano world enables its users in research and high-tech
industry to investigate materials at the atomic scale. AFM probes are the key consumable, the so-
called “finger” that enables the scientist to scan surface point-by-point at the atomic scale.
Consistent high quality of the scanning probes is vital for reproducible results.

Studying and Controlling Matter

The incredibly small Nano world enables scientists to prove years of scientific discovery and
create amazing nano devices. A nanometer (nm) is a unit of length equivalent to one billionth
(10-9) of a meter.

By studying and controlling matter at this nanoscale (1-100 nm), scientists can alter individual
atoms and molecules. These alterations can lead to change in the physical, chemical, biological,
and optical properties of matter. When compared to their larger counterparts, nanoparticles can
exhibit nano or less strength, flexibility, reactivity, reflectivity, or conductivity.

C. ROLE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
The existence of nanotechnology and the creation of nano devices have now occurred at a rapid
rate after only 20 years of research and development. Nanotechnology is now aiding and
revolutionizing different aspects of science and technology. These are in the areas of
environmental science, information technology, medical science, energy, transportation, internal
security, food safety, and those related to human and environmental health.

Nanotechnology Impacts Human Lives

Many of us today, professionals and non-professionals, students, and non-students, have not
heard the word Nano world and nanotechnology or maybe do not know what these means. But
nanotechnology is a common word in this contemporary society.
A few might have heard it but don’t realize the amazing impacts it has on our lives.
Nanotechnology properly belongs to the field of natural science, engineering and technology.

According to the US National Nanotechnology, a nanoscale is about 1 to 100 nanometers. One

nanometer is a billionth of a meter or 10 -9 of a meter. Since nanotechnology is a rapidly
expanding field today, scientists and engineers have great success in making materials at the
nanoscale.

D. OTHER POSSIBILITIES OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

There are thousands of ways that nanotechnology impacts our lives. In fact, almost daily, there
are announcements of new achievements in nanotechnology.
Chemistry professor Stuart Licht lead a team of researchers at the George Washington
University have discovered a way to draw carbon dioxide (CO 2) from the atmosphere and
convert it into high-yield carbon nano filter that can be used in the Boeing Dreamliner, as
well as in high-end sports equipment, wind turbine blades, and a host of other products.
Markus Antonietti, the director of Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces pointed
out that nanotechnology has greatest potential for improving the state of the world and
this can be done by “fixing the atmosphere” through the purification of air and water and
this process is already being done.
Antonietti further stated: “The best part is that all of this (referring to purification of the
atmosphere) could happen immediately if we simply spread the information in an
understandable way. People don’t read science journals, so they don’t even know that all
of this is possible.”

E. MAJOR IMPACTS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY ON SOCIETY

There is a much debate about what positive and negative effects that nanotechnology might have.
Nevertheless, nanotechnology has broader social challenges.

Nanotechnology will radically reshape our economies, our labor markets, international trades,
international relations, social structures, civil liberties, our relationship with the natural world
and even what we understand to be human.

It may be more accurate to describe the change driven by nanotechnology as a technological

tsunami – which will necessarily have a profound impact.

Nanotechnology is going to revolutionize manufacturing healthcare, energy, supply,

communications, and probably defense. It will also transform labor and the workplace, the
medical system, transportation and power infrastructures and the military. All of these have
social disruptions.
The negative impact of nanotechnology is that it will exacerbate problem stemming from
existing socio-economic inequity and unequal distribution of power between rich and poor
causing “nano-divide”. There will be a gap for those who control nanotechnologies (rich) and
those whose products, services or labor are displaced by them (making the people become poor).
Nanotechnology has the potential to destabilize international relations through nano arms, race
and the increased potential for bioweaponry which provides the tool for ubiquitous surveillance
that will significantly affect civil liberties.

There is also a possible military application of nanotechnology by way of soldier enhancements

and chemical weapon manufacturing. Molecular manufacturing might be used to cheaply
produce, among many other products, highly advanced and durable weapons that are equipped
with compact computers and motors.

The application of nanotechnology may pose significant global catastrophic risk. The risks from
nanotechnology comes from the potential to lead war, arms, race, and destructive global
government.

There is a likelihood that well-developed countries as well as “aggressor” countries may lead to
unstable races based on the following premises:

a big number of countries, especially the “aggressive” countries may be tempted to enter
the race since the threshold for doing so is low
molecular manufacturing of weapons is cheap and easy to hide
lack of insight of other countries may tempt the players (countries) to launch pre-emptive
strikes
molecular manufacturing may reduce dependency on international trade – a potential
peace promoting factor
since manufacturing of weapons is cheap and humans are no longer needed in battlefield,
wars of aggression may pose smaller economic threat to the aggressor

Because of the possible risks of nanotechnology in society and human lives, self-regulations by
state is needed. But this is hard to achieve at this time since the international structure is difficult
to call upon. it is hard to coordinate efforts for arms contract. The United Nations must come in
to stop countries (some are in Asia) which are proud (or show off) of producing weapons of
destruction.

Some countries now are having their nano products patented. In fact, over 800 nano-related
patents were already granted in 2013 and many more in the coming years. The carbon
nanotubes is one of the current patented nanoproduct which have a wide range of uses in
electronic and computers and these have replaced conventional raw materials.

F. COST AND BENEFITS TO SOCIETY OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

In developing countries, nanotechnology may provide new solutions for millions of people safe
access to safe water, reliable energy, health care and education. Other benefits include
production using little labor, load or maintenance, high productivity, low cost and modest
requirements for materials and energy.
Costa Rica, Chile, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia are investing considerable resources in
research and development in nanotechnologies. Brazil, China, India and South Africa are also
sending millions of US dollars in their manufacturing research as demonstrated by their
increasing numbers per reviewed scientific publications.
Potential opportunities of nanotechnologies in the international development priorities include
improved water purifications systems, energy systems, medicines, and pharmaceuticals, food
production and nutrition, information and communications technologies. Nanotechnologies are
already incorporated in products that are on the market. Other nanotechnologies are still in the
research phrase, while others are concepts that are years or decades away from development.

Applying nanotechnologies in developing countries raises similar questions about the

environmental, health, and societal risks described in the previous section. Additional challenges
have been raised regarding the linkages between nanotechnology and development.

Protection of the environment, human health and worker safety in developing countries often
suffers from a combination of factors that can include but are not limited to lack of robust
environmental, human health, and worker safety regulations; poor or unenforced regulation
which is linked to a lack of physical (e.g., equipment) and human capacity (i.e., properly trained
regulatory staff). Often, these nations require assistance, particularly financial assistance, to
develop the scientific and institutional capacity to adequately assess and manage risks, including
the necessary infrastructure such as laboratories and technology for detection.

Very little is known about the risks and broader impacts of nanotechnology. At a time of great
uncertainty over the impacts of nanotechnology, it will be challenging for governments,
companies, civil society organizations, and the general public in developing countries, as in
developed countries, to make decisions about the governance of nanotechnology

Companies, and to a lesser extent governments and universities, are receiving patents on
nanotechnology. The rapid increase in patenting of nanotechnology is illustrated by the fact that
in the US, there were 500 nanotechnology patent applications in 1998 and 1,300 in 2000. Some
patents are very broadly defined, which has raised concern among some groups that the rush to
patent could slow innovation and drive-up costs of products, thus reducing the potential for
innovations that could benefit low-income populations in developing countries.

There is a clear link between commodities and poverty. Many least developed countries are
dependent on a few commodities for employment, government revenue, and export earnings.
Many applications of nanotechnology are being developed that could impact global demand for
specific commodities. For instance, certain nanoscale materials could enhance the strength and
durability of rubber, which might eventually lead to a decrease in demand for natural rubber.
Other nanotechnology applications may result in increase in demand for certain commodities.
For example, demand for titanium may increase as a result of new uses of nanoscale titanium
oxides, such as titanium dioxide nanotubes that can be used to produce and store hydrogen for
use as fuel. Various organizations have called for international dialogue on mechanisms that will
allow developing countries to anticipate and proactively adjust to these changes.

In 2003, meridian Institute began the Global Dialogue on Nanotechnology and the Poor:
Opportunities and Risks (GDNP) to raise awareness of the opportunities and risks of
nanotechnology for developing countries, close the gaps within and between sectors to catalyze
actions that address specific opportunities and risks of nanotechnology for developing countries,
and identify ways that science and technology can play an appropriate role in the development
process. The GDNP has released several publicly accessible papers on nanotechnology and
development, including “Nanotechnology and the Poor: Opportunities and Risks – Closing the
Gaps Within and Between Sectors of Society”, “Nanotechnology, Water, and Development”, and
“Overview and Comparisons of Conventional and Nano-Based Water Treatment Technologies.”

G. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY AND ITS PRODUCTS

Nanotechnology increases the strengths of many materials and devices, as well as enhances
efficiencies of monitoring devices, remediation of environmental pollution, and renewable
energy production. While these are considered to be positive effect of nanotechnology, there are
certain negative impacts of nanotechnology on environment in many ways, such as increased
toxicological pollution on the environment due to technology the uncertain shape, size, and
chemical compositions of some of the nanotechnology products (or nanomaterials). It can be
vital to understand the risks of using nanomaterials, and cost of the resulting damage. It is
required to conduct a risk assessment and full life-cycle analysis for nanotechnology products at
all stages of products to understand the hazards of nanoproducts and the resultant knowledge that
can be used to predict the possible positive and negative impacts of the nanoscale products.
Choosing right, less toxic materials (e.g. graphene) will make huge impacts on the environment.
This can be very useful for the training and protection of students, as well as scientists,
engineers, policymakers, and regulators working on the field.

H. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

While nanotechnology is seen as the way of the future and is a technology that a lot of
people think will bring a lot of benefit for all who will be using it, nothing is ever perfect and
there will always be pros and cons to everything. The advantages and disadvantages of
nanotechnology can be easily enumerated, and here are some of them:

Advantages of Nanotechnology
To enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology, let us first run
through the good things this technology brings:
Nanotechnology can actually revolutionize a lot of electronic products, procedures, and
applications. The areas that benefit from the continued development of nanotechnology
when it comes to electronic products include nano transistors, nano diodes, OLED,
plasma displays, quantum computers, and many more.
Nanotechnology can also benefit the energy sector. The development of more effective
energy-producing, energy-absorbing, and energy storage products in smaller and more
efficient devices is possible with this technology. Such items like batteries, fuel cells, and
solar cells can be built smaller but can be made to be more effective with this technology.
Another industry that can benefit from nanotechnology is the manufacturing sector that
will need materials like nanotubes, aerogels, nano particles, and other similar items to
produce their products with. These materials are often stronger, more durable, and lighter
than those that are not produced with the help of nanotechnology.
In the medical world, nanotechnology is also seen as a boon since these can help with
creating what is called smart drugs. These help cure people faster and without the side
effects that other traditional drugs have. You will also find that the research of
nanotechnology in medicine is now focusing on areas like tissue regeneration, bone
 repair, immunity and even cures for such ailments like cancer, diabetes, and other life-
threatening diseases.

Disadvantages of Nanotechnology
When tackling the advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology, you will also need
to point out what can be seen as the negative side of this technology:
Included in the list of disadvantages of this science and its development is the possible
loss of jobs in the traditional farming and manufacturing industry.
You will also find that the development of nanotechnology can also bring about the crash
of certain markets due to the lowering of the value of oil and diamonds due to the
possibility of developing alternative sources of energy that are more efficient and won’t
require the use of fossil fuels. This can also mean that since people can now develop
products at the molecular level, diamonds will also lose its value since it can now be
mass produced.
Atomic weapons can now be more accessible and made to be more powerful and more
destructive. These can also become more accessible with nanotechnology.
Since these particles are very small, problems can actually arise from t inhalation of these
minute particles, much like the problems a person gets from inhaling minute asbestos
particles.
Presently, nanotechnology is very expensive and developing it can cost you a lot of
money. It is also pretty difficult to manufacture, which is probably why products made
with nanotechnology are more expensive.
Source: https://nanogloss.com/nanotechnology/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-
nanotechnology/

I. 10 WAYS NANOTECHNOLOGY IMPACTS OUR LIVES

by Mark Crawford

1. Faster, smaller, and more powerful computers that consume far less power, with longer lasting
batteries. Circuits made from carbon nanotubes could be vital in maintaining the growth of
computer power, allowing Moore's Law to continue.

2. Faster, more functional, and more accurate medical diagnostic equipment. Lab-on-a-chip
technology enables point-of-care testing in real time, which speeds up delivery of medical care.
Nanomaterial surfaces on implants improve wear and resist infection.

3. Nanoparticles in pharmaceutical products improve their absorption within the body and make
them easier to deliver, often through combination medical devices. Nanoparticles can also be
used to deliver chemotherapy drugs to specific cells, such as cancer cells. The under-body panels
on the new C7 Chevrolet Corvette are made of nanocomposite carbon.

4. Improved vehicle fuel efficiency and corrosion resistance by building vehicle parts from
nanocomposite materials that are lighter, stronger, and more chemically resistant than metal.
Nanofillers remove nearly all airborne particles from the air before it reaches the combustion
chamber, further improving gas mileage.
5. Nanoparticles or nanofibers in fabrics can enhance stain resistance, water resistance, and flame
resistance, without a significant increase in weight, thickness, or stiffness of the fabric. For
example, “nano-whiskers” on pants make them resistant to water and stains.

6. Water filters that are only 15-20 nanometers wide can remove nano-sized particles, including
virtually all viruses and bacteria. These cost-efficient, portable water treatment systems are ideal
for improving the quality of drinking water in emerging countries.

7. Carbon nanotubes have a variety of commercial uses, including making sports equipment
stronger and lighter weight. For example, a tennis racket made with carbon nanotubes bends less
during impact and increases the force and accuracy of the delivery. Nanoparticle-treated tennis
balls can keep bouncing twice as long as standard tennis balls.

8. Most sunscreens today are made from nanoparticles that effectively absorb light, including the
more dangerous ultraviolet range. They also spread more easily over the skin. These same
nanoparticles are also used in food packaging to reduce UV exposure and prolong shelf life.

9. Many drink bottles are made from plastics containing nano clays, which increase resistance to
permeation by oxygen, carbon dioxide, and moisture. This helps retain carbonation and pressure
and increases shelf life by several months.

10. Thanks to nanotechnology, a huge variety of chemical sensors can be programmed to detect a
particular chemical at amazingly low levels, for example, a single molecule out of billions. This
capability is ideal for surveillance and security systems at labs, industrial sites, and airports. On
the medical front, nano sensors can also be used to accurately identify particular cells or
substances in the body.
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