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Introduction to Nanomaterials

Introduction

What is so unique about

Nanotechnology?

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Van der Waals

VanForce
der Waals force
• An attractive force between atoms or molecules.

• Not the result of chemical bond formation, much weaker

Ref):http://www.lclark.edu/~autumn/climbing/climb.html

Gecko’s footmechanism
Nano-adhesion structureof Gecko

 Many hypotheses
- Suction: Gadow, 1901
- Electrostatics: Schmidt, 1904
- Friction: Madhendra, 1941
- Micro-interlocking:
Madhendra, 1941
- Capillary wet adhesion

Ref):http://www.lclark.edu/~autumn/climbing/climb.html

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Gecko’s foot structure

Ref):http://www.lclark.edu/~autumn/climbing/climb.html

Kellar et al, “Adhesive force of a single gecko foot-hair,” Nature, 405, 681-685 (2000)

Bio-mimicking: Gecko’s foot

“Each hair produces a miniscule force ≈10−7 N
(due to van der Waals and/or capillary
interactions) but millions of hairs acting
together create a formidable adhesion of ≈10 N
cm−2” .....

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Nanotechnology: Way back…

The concepts of nanotechnology are not new to nature or to mankind.

An early example of a manmade nanoprocess is stained glass.

Figure 1.7: Stained glass windows. Figure 1.8: Picture of gold nano particles.

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Concept of Modern Nanotechnology

Dr. Richard P. Feynman

“Why cannot we write the entire 24 volumes of the

Encyclopedia Britannica on the head of a pin?”

“There's Plenty of Room at the

Bottom” - at American Physical Society meeting
at Caltech on December 29, 1959”

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Another Initial Concept

Eric Drexler, Continued

Cell Repair Machines
• “By working along molecule by X
molecule and structure by
structure, repair machines will be
able to repair whole cells. By
working along cell by cell and
tissue by tissue, they…will be able
to repair whole organs…they will
Figure 1.16: Stylized example of
restore health.” - Drexler, 1986 targeted cell repair.

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Nanotechnology
• Nanotechnology: The creation of functional
materials, devices and systems through control of
matter on the nanometer(1~100nm) length scale and
the exploitation of novel properties and phenomena
developed at that scale.

• Why nano length scale ?

- By patterning matter on the nano scale, it is possible
to vary fundamental properties of materials without
changing the chemical composition

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Span of Nanotechnology
Information Mechanical Biotechnology
Technology Engineering /
Robotics
Transportation

Advance
Materials &
Textiles NANOTECHNOLOGY National
Security &
Defense

Energy &
Environment
Food and
Aerospace Medicine Agriculture
/Health

What is Nanomaterial?

Nanomaterials are commonly defined as

materials with an average size less than 100
nanometers in at least one dimension.

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Nanofibers Compared to Human Hair

Why are we interested in “nano-

material”?

Difference in Properties than bulk counterpart due to

• Small size

• Large Surface Area

• More free energy

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Weight efficient and Uniform coverage

• Large spherical particles – less
coverage of surface area

• Nanoparticles (platelets) of
Equal mass - coverage 1 x 106
times more

Small particles are ‘invisible’ :

Transparent Coatings/Films

Small particles are very weight

efficient – Surfaces modified
with minimal material

Approaches to Synthesize
Nanomaterials

• Top-down – Breaking down matter into more

basic building blocks. Frequently uses
chemical or thermal methods.

• Bottoms-up – Building complex systems by

combining simple atomic-level components.

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Nanotechnology in Bio and

Medicinal Applications

Nanostructures in Biological Systems

Two major concerns

1. To be large enough they don’t just pass through

the body.

2. Need to be small enough they don’t accumulate

in vital organs and create toxicity problems

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Biological Nanodevices
• Bottom-up approach frequently used when
constructing nanomaterials for use in medicine

• Most animal cells are 10 to 20 thousand

nanometers in diameter

• Nanodevices smaller than 100 nanometers would

be able to enter the cells and organelles where
they could interact with DNA and proteins

Biological Nanodevices
• This could assist with the
detection of disease in
very small cell or tissue
samples

• Could also allow less

invasive examination of
living cells within the
body

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Cancer Detection and Diagnosis

• Currently done by physical

examination or imaging
techniques

• Early molecular changes not

detected by these methods

• Need to detect changes in small

percentage of cells, need very
sensitive technology,

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Nanopores
• Helps researchers detect errors in the genetic cause
that may lead to cancer

• Funnels DNA through, one strand at a time, resulting

in more efficient DNA sequencing

• Monitor shape and electrical properties of each base

as they pass through the nanopore

• Properties, which are unique to the bases, allow the

nanopore to help decipher information encoded in
the DNA

Quantum Dots
• Tiny crystals that glow when they are stimulated by
ultraviolet light
• Color of glow dependent on size
• Create latex beads designed to bind to specific DNA
sequences…….Quantum dots within the beads can
be used to identify specific regions of DNA
• Diversity allows creation of many unique “dot labels”
for DNA sequences
• Useful because cancer often results from
accumulation of many different changes in cells

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Cancer Treatment
• Nanotechnology - allow treatments that
target cancer cells without harming nearby
healthy cells

• May allow creation of therapeutic agents that

have a controlled, time-release strategy for
delivering toxins

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Dendrimers
• Man-made molecule comparable in size to average
protein

• Has a branching shape, allowing the attachment of

therapeutic devices and biologically active molecules

• May be used to detect and treat cancer

simultaneously

Nanotechnology in Electronic
Applications

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Back In the Days

Transistors - Progress
• The transistor, invented
by three scientists at
the Bell Laboratories in
1947, rapidly replaced
the vacuum tube as an
electronic signal
regulator.

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Transistors - Now

Revolution in Storage

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Display Technology – Transparent

Electrodes

Molecular Devices
• Molecular Scale Electronic Devices
– Molecular Computers - constructed from Molecular Scale
Electronic Devices which are electronic devices that consist
of only a few atoms and are constructed and interconnected
by chemical means.

• Major Benefits
– The major benefits of molecular electronics are a dramatic
reduction in size and power consumption

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Applications of Nanotechnology

VDI

Applications of Nanotechnology

VDI

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Challenges

• The ability to monitor and manipulate the material

processing at desired level – to control the functioning

• Preventing nanomaterials from coarsening

• Measurement of structure and Properties at

nanoscale – requires innovation of instruments and
techniques with very high resolution

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