National Workshop on : Nano Technology

IPS Academy, Indore (21-25 Jan, 2020)

Introduction to Nanotechnology

Dr. Neelkanth Nirmalkar

Assistant Professor
Chemical Engineering
IIT Ropar
 What is Nanotechnology

While many definitions for nanotechnology exist, the [National Nanotechnology

Initiative] NNI calls it "nanotechnology" only if it involves all of the following:

 Research and technology development at the atomic, molecular or

macromolecular levels, in the length scale of approximately 1 - 100 nanometer
range.
 Creating and using structures, devices and systems that have novel properties and
functions because of their small and/or intermediate size.

 Ability to control or manipulate on the atomic scale.

Nanotechnology

• Is already making today’s products:

• Lighter
• Stronger
• Faster
• Smaller
• More Durable
Understanding Size

How big (small) are we talking about?

Understanding Size

• 10 centimeters

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
• 1 centimeter

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
• 100 micrometers

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
• 10 micrometers

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
• 1 micrometer

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
• 100 nanometers

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
• 10 nanometers

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
• 1 nanometer

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

 Size Matters
• It’s not just how big you are

• It’s what you can do with it

How small is Nano -
small?

Units in nanometers (nm)

How small is nanotechnology?
Compared to Human Hair

A Human Hair is about 100,000µm wide

Nanotechnology spans many Areas

Information Mechanical Biotechnology

Technology Engineering
Eng. & /
Robotics
Transportation

Advance
Materials &
Textiles NANOTECHNOLOGY
National
Security &
Defense

Energy &
Environment
Food and
Aerospace Medicine Agriculture
/
Health
Key Dimensions in Nanometers

• An atom is about 0.3 nm in size.

• Typical spacing between 2 carbon

atoms in a molecule is 0.12 – 0.15 nm.
Key Dimensions in Nanometers
• DNA double helix has a diameter
of about 2 nm.

• A bacterium of the genus Mycoplasma

has a length of 200 nm.
Key Dimensions in Nanometers

• A red blood cell is 6,000 nm in diameter.

• A human hair is 80,000 nm in diameter.

• To put this scale in context, the size of a

nanometer to a meter, is the same as that of
a marble to the size of the Earth.
 Small things are different.

The color of gold changes with sizes

Graphite, for example, takes on interesting shapes if it is kept from becoming a

big solid.

graphite buckyball nanotube

The goal of nanoscience is to find and understand

how physical properties change with size.
Properties of nanomaterial
Materials reduced to the nano-scale can show different properties compared to what
they exhibit on the macro-scale.

 Opaque substances may become transparent (copper);

 stable materials turn combustible (aluminum);

 insulators become conductors (silicon); and

 solids turn to liquids at room temperature (gold).

Properties of nanomaterial

Nanoparticles tend to be more chemically reactive than their ordinary

sized counterparts because they have more surface area.
An increase in surface area to volume ratio alters the mechanical,
thermal, and catalytic properties of materials.

 Mechanical strength (how hard they are to break)

 Electrical conductivity (how fast electrons flow through them)
 Thermal conductivity (how fast heat flows through them)
 Chemical reactivity (how well/fast they react with other chemicals)
 Transparency (how well you can see through them)
 Magnetism (whether or not they are magnetic)
 … and many more…
Classification of
nanomaterials
Nanoparticles or nanospheres: (0-D) nanoscale lengths are measured in all three
dimensions
Nanotubes or nanowires or nanorods: (1-D) nanoscale lengths are measured in two
dimensions only
Nanoscale thin films or ultra-thin films: (2-D) nanoscale lengths are measured in one
dimension only
Nanocomposites: (3-D) a material comprised of many nanoscale inclusions (such as
nanoparticles)
Nanostructured materials: (3-D) a material that exhibits a unique structure that can be
measured at the nanoscale
Buckyballs: nanoparticles comprised of exactly 60 carbon atoms (though there are
other types), forming a network that resembles a soccer ball.
 Increase in Surface-to-Volume
Ratio:
Single Box Ratio
6 m2
= 6 m2/m3
1m 3

Smaller Boxes Ratio

12 m2
= 12 m2/m3
1m 3

• Neglecting spaces between the smaller boxes, the volumes of the box
on the left and the boxes on the right are the same but the surface
area of the smaller boxes added together is much greater than the
single box.
 Increase in Surface-to-Volume Ratio:

Single Box Ratio

6 m2
= 6 m2/m3
1m 3

Smaller Boxes Ratio

12 m2
= 12 m2/m3
1m 3

• Neglecting spaces between the smaller boxes, the volumes of the

box on the left and the boxes on the right are the same but the
surface area of the smaller boxes added together is much greater
than the single box.
Another Way to Think of this Ratio
Using Sugar Cubes

• Each individual cube is about 1

cm on a side, so each side has an
area of 1 cm2. With six sides, it
has a surface area of 6 cm2 and a
volume of 1 cm3.

• This is a surface area to volume

ratio of 6 cm2/cm3
• A block made from 64
sugar cubes is 4 cm on
a side and has a surface
area of 6 x 16 cm2 or
96 cm2 and a volume
of 64 cm3.

• This is a surface area to

volume ratio of 1.5 cm2/cm3.

• If you compute the surface of all 64 individual cubes, you would have
64 x 6cm2 or 384 cm2 or 4 times more surface area with the same total
volume.
• Nanocrystalline materials • Molecular electronics
• Nanoparticles • Quantum dots
• Nanocapsules • NEMS, Nanofluidics
• Nanoporous materials • Nanophotonics, Nano-optics
• Nanofibers • Nanomagnetics
• Nanowires • Nanofabrication
• Fullerenes • Nanolithography
• Nanotubes • Nanomanufacturing
• Nanosprings • Nanomedicine
• Nanobelts • Nano-bio
Nanomaterial synthesis
Outline

• Nanoparticle Synthesis
• Colloidal Chemical Methods
• Attrition
• Pyrolysis
• RF Plasma
• Thermal decomposition
• Pulsed Laser Method
• Some Nanoparticle Applications
 Colloidal Methods

• Colloidal chemical methods are some of the most useful, easiest, and
cheapest ways to create nanoparticles.
• Colloidal methods may utilize both organic and inorganic reactants.
• Typically, a metal salt is reduced leaving nanoparticles evenly dispersed
in a liquid.
• Aggregation is prevented by electrostatic repulsion or the introduction
of a stabilizing reagent that coats the particle surfaces.
• Particle sizes range from 1-200nm and are controlled by the initial
concentrations of the reactants and the action of the stabilizing reagent.
Colloidal Methods

• Examples: Gold
• A common method for preparing colloidal gold nanoparticles
involves combining hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (HAuCl4) and
sodium citrate (Na3C6H5O7) in a dilute solution.
• Upon dissociation, the citrate ions (C6H5O73-) reduce Au3+ to yield
30-40 nm gold particles.
Half reaction equations:
• Au3+(aq) + 3e-  Au(s)
• C6H5O73-(aq) +H2O(l)  C5H4O42-(aq) + CO2(g) + H3O(aq) + 2e-
Example: Formation of Gold Nanoparticles

Sodium
Citrate Red Color = Gold NP

Gold
HAuCl4 HAuCl4
NP

Heat

 Heat a solution of chloroauric acid (HAuCl 4) up to reflux (boiling). HAuCl4 is a water

soluble gold salt.
 Add trisodium citrate, which is a reducing agent.
 Continue stirring and heating for about 10 minutes.
 During this time, the sodium citrate reduces the gold salt (Au 3+) to metallic gold
(Au0).
 The neutral gold atoms aggregate into seed crystals.
 The seed crystals continue to grow and eventually form gold nanoparticles.
http://mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/nanolab/gold/index.html
J. Chem. Ed. 2004, 81, 544A.
Example: Formation of Gold Nanoparticles

Reduction of gold ions: Au(III) + 3e- → Au(0) Seed Crystal

Nucleation of Au(0) seed crystals: 10’s to 100’s of Atoms

Growth of nanoparticles:
Isotropic Spherical Surface capped
Seed Growth with citrate anions
Nanoparticles

Adding surfactant to growth solution

Anisotropic Nanorods caps certain crystal faces and promotes
Growth growth only in selected directions.
Colloidial Methods
• Examples: Molybdenum
• 1-5 nm molybdenum nanoparticles can be created at room
temperature by reducing MoCl3 in a toluene solution in the
presence of sodium triethylborohydride (NaBEt3H).
• Reaction equation:
MoCl3 + 3NaBEt3H  Mo + 3NaCl + 3BEt3 + (3/2)H2
Colloidal Methods

• Examples: Iron
• The TEM image to the right
shows 3nm Fe nanoparticles
produced by reducing FeCl2 with
sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in
xylene.
• Trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO)
was introduced as a capping
agent to prevent oxidation and
aggregation
TEM image of Fe nanoparticles

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2001, 3, 1661È1665

Colloidal Methods
• Examples: Silver
• The reduction of AgNO3 by NaBH4 in aqueous
solution can produce small diameter (<5nm)
silver nanoparticles
• In one reported method, the reduction takes
place between layers of kaolinite, a layered
silicate clay material that functions to limit
particle growth.
• Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is used as a capping
agent to prevent corrosion and aggregation of
the Ag particles.

R. Patakfalvi et al. / Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 220 (2003) 45/54
Attrition

• Attrition is a mechanical method for creating certain types of

nanoparticles.
• Macro or micro scale particles are ground in a ball mill, a planetary ball
mill, or other size reducing mechanism.
• The resulting particles are separated by filters and recovered.
• Particle sizes range from tens to hundreds of nm.
• Broad size distribution and varied particle geometry.
• May contain defects and impurities from the milling process.
• Generally considered to be very energy intensive.

Cao, Guozhong. Nanostructures and Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties &

Applications. Imperial College Press. 2004
Attrition: Rotary Ball Mill

• A hollow steel cylinder

containing tungsten balls and a
solid precursor rotates about
its central axis.
• Particle size is reduced by
brittle fracturing resulting from
ball-ball and ball-wall
collisions.
• Milling takes place in an inert
gas atmosphere to reduce
contamination.

http://www.ktf-split.hr/glossary/image/ball_mill.gif
Attrition
• Attrition Examples

Claudio L. De Castro, Brian S. Mitchell. Nanoparticles from Mechanical Attrition.

Department of Chemical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Pyrolysis

• History
• System Overview
• Aggregation and agglomeration
• Impact of oxygen flow
• Jet design
• Flame quenching
• Nozzle quenching
• Electrostatic Charging
Pyrolysis
• Pyrolysis is a popular method for creating
nanoparticles, especially oxides. A precursor
(liquid or gas) is forced through an orifice at high
pressure and burned.
• The resulting ash is collected to recover the
nanoparticles.
• Large volume of gas leads to high rate of material
synthesis
 Flame Spray Pyrolysis (FSP)

• Versatile
Aggregation
• Large Variety of
precursors Condensation
Coagulation
• Controllable
Nucleation
• Scalable
Droplet evaporation
Pyrolysis: System Overview

Xiao Q., Yiguang J., Stefan B. and Nan Y. Synthesis of Y2O3:Eu Phosphor Nanoparticles by
Flame Spray Pyrolysis. Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Pyrolysis
Aggregates and Agglomerates:
• Aggregate – An assemblage of particles rigidly joined together by chemical
or sinter-forces.
• Agglomerate – A loosely coherent assembly of particles and/or aggregates
held together by weak interactions
• Current aerosol instruments cannot distinguish between them.

Aggregates Agglomerates
Pyrolysis
Impact of oxygen
• Aids in combustion
• Provides chemistry in the reaction
• Acts as a dilutent, cools the flame, prevents
agglomeration
• All of these variables can be decoupled by burner
design. Which is cheaper than increasing oxygen
flow.
Pyrolysis
Particle Size Controlled by O2 Flow

• Excess oxygen
makes the flame
burn cooler
resulting in smaller
diameter particles
Pyrolysis
Particle Formation and Growth by Gas Phase Chemical
Reaction, Coagulation, Sintering and Surface Growth:

O2

TTIP TiO2 TiO2 TiO2

Molecules Molecules Particles
Aggregates

Titanium-Tetra-Iso-Propoxide Decreasing Temperature

C3H7O OC3H7

Ti
C3H7O OC3H7

Pratsinis, Sotiris E., Functional Nanoparticles and Films Made in the

Gas-phase. Nano Science and Technology Institute, Cambridge. 2008
Pyrolysis: Jet Design

CH4 CH4 Air Air

Air CH4

Air Air
TiCl4 TiCl4
TiCl4 TiCl4
RF Plasma Synthesis
• The starting material is placed in a pestle and heated under vacuum by RF heating
coils.
• A high temperature plasma is created by flowing a gas, such as He, through the
system in the vicinity of the coils.
• When the material is heated beyond its evaporation point, the vapor nucleates on
the gas atoms which diffuse up to a cooler collector rod and form nanoparticles.
• The particles can be passivated by introducing another gas such as O 2.
• In the case of Al nanoparticles the O2 forms a thin layer of AlO3 around the outside
of the particle inhibiting aggregation and agglomeration.
• RF plasma synthesis is very popular method for creating ceramic nanoparticles
and powders
• Low mass yield.

Poole, C., Owens, F. Introduction to Nanotechnology. Wiley, New Jersey. 2003

RF Plasma Apparatus

Poole, C., Owens, F. Introduction to Nanotechnology. Wiley, New Jersey. 2003

Thermal Decomposition

• Thermal decomposition is the chemical decomposition of a substance

into ins constituents by heating.
• A solid bulk material is heated beyond its decomposition temperature
in an evacuated furnace tube.
• The precursor material may contain metal cations and molecular
anions, or metal organic solids.
• Example: 2LiN3(s) 2Li(s) +3N2(g)
• Lithium particles can be synthesized by heating LiN3 in a quartz tube
under vacuum.
• When heated to 375oC the nitrogen outgases from the bulk material
and the Li atoms coalesce to form metal nanoparticles.

Poole, C., Owens, F. Introduction to Nanotechnology. Wiley, New Jersey. 2003

 Thermal Decomposition Apparatus

Sample in Ta foil

Furnace

Evacuated
Quartz Tube

Turbo Molecular
Pump

Mechanical Pump
Pulsed Laser Methods

• Pulsed Lasers have been employed in the synthesis

silver nanoparticles from silver nitrate solutions.
• A disc rotates in this solution while a laser beam is
pulsed onto the disc creating hot spots.
• Silver nitrate is reduced, forming silver nanoparticles.
• The size of the particle is controlled by the energy in
the laser and the speed of the rotating disc.

Poole, C., Owens, F. Introduction to Nanotechnology. Wiley, New Jersey. 2003

Pulsed Laser Apparatus for Ag
Nanoparticles

Poole, C., Owens, F. Introduction to Nanotechnology. Wiley, New Jersey. 2003

Nanoparticle Applications: ZnO

• Zinc Oxide has opaque and antifungal properties.

• Used as UV blocking pigments in sunscreens, cosmetics,
varnishes, and fabrics
• Incorporated in foot powders and garden supplies as an
antifungal.
• ZnO nanowires can improve the elastic toughness of bulk
materials
Nanoparticle Applications: TiO2

• Titanium Dioxide is used as an inorganic white pigment for paper, paints,

plastics, and whitening agents.
• TiO2 nanoparticles are used as UV blocking pigments in sunscreens,
cosmetics, varnishes, and fabrics.
• TiO2 has unique photocatalytic properties that make it suitable for a
number of advanced applications:
• Self-cleaning glass and antifogging coatings
• Photoelectrochemical cells (PECs)
• Detoxification of waste water
• Hydrolysis
Nanoparticle Applications: Fe

• 50-100nm Iron nanoparticles are used in magnetic

recording devices for both digital and analog data.
• Decreasing the diameter to 30-40nm increases the
magnetic recording capacity by 5-10 times per unit.
Nanoparticle Applications: Iron Oxide

• Iron Oxide nanoparticles have unique magnetic and optical

properties.
• Iron oxide nanoparticles can be translucent to visible light
while being opaque to UV light.
• Applications include UV protective coatings, various
electromagnetic uses, electro-optic uses, and data storage.
Nanoparticle Applications:
Iron Alloys
• Iron-platinum nanoparticles have increased magnetism and it is
predicted that 3nm particle can increase the data storage capacity by 10
times per unit area.
• Iron-palladium nanoparticles 100-200nm in diameter have been shown
to reduce toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons to nontoxic hydrocarbon and
chloride compounds.

SCIENCE VOL 287 17 MARCH 2000

Nanoparticle Applications:
Alumina

• Alumina (Aluminum Oxide) is used in Chemical Mechanical Polishing

(CMP) slurries, as well as ceramic filters.
• Nano-alumina is used in light bulb and fluorescent tube coatings
because it emits light more uniformly and allows for better flow of
fluorescent materials.
Nanoparticle Applications: Ag

• Silver has excellent conductivity and has been used as an

antimicrobial material for thousands of years.
• Silver’s anti-microbial potential increase with increased
surface area.
• Applications include biocides, transparent conductive inks,
and antimicrobial plastics, and bandages.
Nanoparticle Applications:
Gold
• Gold nanoparticles are relatively easy to produce compared to other types
of nanoparticles due to its high chemical stability.
• Uses for gold nanoparticles are typically catalytic and include DNA
detection and the oxidation of carbon monoxide.
• Gold has superior conductivity allowing gold nanoparticles to be used in
various probes, sensors, and optical applications.
Nanoparticle Applications: Gold

• The First Response® home pregnancy test uses 1µm polystyrene sphere
and 50nm gold particles coated with an antibody to human chorionic
gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone produced during pregnancy.
• When urine containing hCG comes in contact with the polystyrene-gold-
antibody complex, the nanoparticles coagulate into red clumps. Fluids
pass through a filter where the clumps are caught yielding a pink filter.
• Suspended (un-coagulated) nanoparticles pass through the filter and no
color change occurs.

Bangs, L. B. New Developments in Particle-based

Immunoassays. Pure & Appl. Chem. Vol. 68, No 10 p
1873-1879. 1996
Nanoparticle Applications: Gold

Bangs, L. B. New Developments in Particle-based

Immunoassays. Pure & Appl. Chem. Vol. 68, No 10 p
1873-1879. 1996
Nanoparticle Applications: ZrO

• Zirconium Dioxide nanoparticles can increase the tensile

strength of materials when applied as a coating.
• This has many possible applications in wear coatings,
ceramics, dies, cutting edges, as well as piezoelectric
components, and dielectrics.
Characterization Techniques
Two types of nanomaterial characterization:
• Spectroscopic methods
• i.e. UV-VIS, DLS
• Imaging methods
• i.e. TEM, SEM, AFM

Source: NSC students Source: NSC students

68
0-D Nanoparticles

Color of a nanoparticle solution is dependent on

nanoparticle size.

69
UV-Vis Absorption

Gives quantitative measure of color.

What wavelengths are absorbed?
What wavelengths are transmitted?

Source: Cytodiagnostics

70
UV-Vis Spectrometer

71
Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS)

DLS measures the Brownian motion of the nanoparticles

and correlates this to particle size

72
Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS)

DLS instrument

Source: www.Malvern.com

Source: NSC Students

73
Imaging Methods

Light (Optical) Microscopy SEM micrograph

Electron Microscopy
• TEM
• SEM
Scanning Probe Microscopy
• STM
• AFM
• Profilometry
Source: NSC Students

74
Resolution Limit

Light microscopes
• 500 X to 1500 X magnification
• Resolution of ~0.2 µm
• Limits reached by early 1930’s

Resolution dependent on:

• wavelength of illumination () 0.612
d
• Numerical Aperture (NA) of lens system NA
75
Electron Microscopes

Wavelength of the electron dependent on:

• Electron mass (m)
• Electron charge (q)
• Potential difference to accelerate electrons (V)

h

2mqV
76
Transmission Electron Microscope
Transmission Electron Microscope
(TEM)
1. e-beam strikes sample and is
transmitted through the
sample
2. Scattering occurs
3. Un-scattered electrons pass
through sample and are
detected

77
Transmission Electron Microscope
TEM
Copper Grid Sample Holder

78
TEM Images
Inorganic Material

Organic Material

79
Scanning Electron Microscope
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
1. e- beam strikes sample and electron
penetrate surface
2. Interactions occur between electrons
and sample
3. Electrons and photons emitted from
sample
4. Emitted e- or photons detected

80
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
SEM Conidia of Aspergillus

Aspex Explorer located at NSC

81
Scanning Electron Microscope
(SEM)

SiO2 spheres A succulent plant

82
Scanning Electron Microscope
(SEM)

A hair “split end” A “bug” eye

83
Scanning Probe Microscopy

• Measure feedback from atomically defined tip

• Many types of feedback (dependent on tip)

• AFM – Forces between sample and tip

• STM – Tunneling current between sample and tip

84
Scanning Tunneling Microscope

• Tip scans just above surface of

stage
• Electrons have a small
probability of escaping material
to tip creating tunneling current
• Tunneling current is depends on
distance between tip and
sample

85
STM Images
• “See” individual atoms
• Must have high vacuum , low temp (4 K)

Pt and Ni atoms on an alloy surface

86
Atomic Force Microscope
(AFM)

• Tip scans across surface

• Laser reflects off of
cantilever to a
photodetector
• Feedback loop changes
tip to sample distance
• Height changes recorded

87
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

• AFM Cantilevers and tips

88
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

Butterfly Wing

89
Profilometery
0.5 nm resolution in the Z-direction

Bruker Dektak XT profilometer Typical profilometer scan

90
3-D Profilometery

2-D profilometer scan 3-D profilometer scan

91
SOME CURRENT
APPLICATIONS OF
NANOTECHNOLOGY
SOLAR CELLS

Nanotechnology enhancements provide:

 Improved efficiencies: novel nanomaterials can

harness more of the sun’s energy
 Lower costs: some novel nanomaterials can be made
cheaper than alternatives
 Flexibility: thin film flexible polymers can be
manipulated to generate electricity from the sun’s
energy
COMPUTING

Nanotechnology enhancements provide:

 Faster processing speeds: miniaturization allows more transistors to
be packed on a computer chip
 More memory: nanosized features on memory chips allow more
information to be stored
 Thermal management solutions for electronics: novel carbon-based
nanomaterials carry away heat generated by sensitive electronics
CLOTHING

Nanotechnology enhancements provide:

 Anti-odor properties: silver nanoparticles embedded in textiles kill odor
causing bacteria
 Stain-resistance: nanofiber coatings on textiles stop liquids from
penetrating
 Moisture control: novel nanomaterials on fabrics absorb perspiration and
wick it away
 UV protection: titanium nanoparticles embedded in textiles inhibit UV
rays from penetrating through fabric
BATTERIES
Nanotechnology enhancements provide:
 Higher energy storage capacity and quicker recharge: nanoparticles or
nanotubes on electrodes provide high surface area and allow more
current to flow
 Longer life: nanoparticles on electrodes prevent electrolytes from
degrading so batteries can be recharged over and over
 A safer alternative: novel nano-enhanced electrodes can be less
flammable, costly and toxic than conventional electrodes
SPORTING GOODS AND EQUIPMENT

Nanotechnology enhancements provide:

 Increased strength of materials: novel carbon nanofiber or nanotube-
based nanocomposites give the player a stronger swing
 Lighter weight materials: nanocomposites are typically lighter weight
than their macroscale counterparts
 More “perfect” fabrication of materials: controlling material
characteristics at the nanoscale helps ensure that a ball flies in the
direction of applied force and/or reduces the chance for fracture of
equipment
CARS

Nanotechnology enhancements provide:

 Increased strength of materials: novel carbon nanofiber or

nanotube nanocomposites are used in car bumpers, cargo liners
and as step-assists for vans
 Lighter weight materials: lightweight nanocomposites mean less
fuel is used to make the car go

 Control of surface characteristics: nanoscale thin films can be applied for optical
control of glass, water repellency of windshields and to repair of nicks/scratches
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
Nanotechnology enhancements provide:

 Better, more environmentally friendly adhesives for fast food

containers: biopolymer nanospheres instantly tack surfaces together
 Anti-bacterial properties: Nano silver coatings on kitchen tools and
counter-tops kill bacteria/microbes

 Improved barrier properties for carbonated beverages or packaged

foods: nanocomposites slow down the flow of gas or water vapor across
the container, increasing shelf life
THE ENVIRONMENT
Nanotechnology enhancements provide:
 Improved ability to capture groundwater contaminants: nanoparticles
with high surface area are injected into groundwater to bond with
contaminants
 Replacements for toxic or scarce materials: novel nanomaterials can be
engineered to exhibit specific properties that mimic other less
desirable materials
DRUG DELIVERY

Nanotechnology enhancements will provide:

 New vehicles for delivery: nanoparticles such as buckyballs

or other cage-like structures that carry drugs through the
body
 Targeted delivery: nano vehicles that deliver drugs to
specific locations in body
 Time release: nanostructured material that store medicine
in nanosized pockets that release small amounts of drugs
over time
CANCER
Nanotechnology enhancements will provide:
 Earlier detection: specialized nanoparticles that target cancer cells only –
these nanoparticles can be easily imaged to find small tumors
 Improved treatments: infrared light that shines on the body is absorbed
by the specialized nanoparticles in the cancer cells only, leading to an
increased localized temperature that selectively kills the cancer cells but
leaves normal cells unharmed
MOLECULAR MANUFACTURING

Nanotechnology enhancements will provide:

 Ability to build structures, materials, devices and systems from the
“bottom-up” atom by atom or molecule by molecule
 “Nanobots” or “nanomachines” that can position atoms or molecules
to build with atomic accuracy
 Zero to little waste because atoms are placed exactly where they
should go
SENSORS
Nanotechnology enhancements will provide:
 Higher sensitivity: high surface area of nanostructures that allows for
easier detection of chemicals, biological toxins, radiation, disease, etc.
 Miniaturization: nanoscale fabrication methods that can be used to
make smaller sensors that can be hidden and integrated into various
objects
NEXT GENERATION COMPUTING (QUANTUM, DNA,
MOLECULAR)

Nanotechnology enhancements will provide:

 The ability to control atomic scale phenomena: quantum or
molecular phenomena that can be used to represent data
 Faster processing speeds

 Lighter weight and miniaturized computers

 Increased memory

 Lower energy consumption

NANOROBOTICS
Nanotechnology enhancements will provide:
 Miniaturized fabrication of complex nanoscale systems:
nanorobots that propel through the body and detect/ cure
disease or clandestinely enter enemy territory for a specific
task
 Manipulation of tools at very small scales: nanorobots that
help doctors perform sensitive surgeries
WATER PURIFICATION
Nanotechnology enhancements will provide:
 Easier contamination removal: filters made of nanofibers that
can remove small contaminants
 Improved desalination methods: nanoparticle or nanotube
membranes that allow only pure water to pass through
 Lower costs
 Lower energy use
Thank you