Physicist Richard Feynman is the father of nanotechnology. A nanometer is 10-9, or a billionth, of a meter. Nano is Greek for the word dwarf. There are 25,400,000 nanometers in an inch. A sheet of the newspaper you are reading right now is 100,000 nanometers thick.
Nanotechnology is the study of STEM subjects conducted at a nanoscale (1-100 nanometers). It all began because Richard Feynman, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology, talked about a process in which scientists could manipulate and control individual atoms and molecules. The talk was titled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom.”
Professor Norio Taniguchi, of Tokyo University of Science, coined the term “nanotechnology.” Modern nanotechnology came with the development of the scanning tunneling that could “see” the atoms.
Nanotechnology can help us change the pattern of an atom. We can use it to make something new, for example, how molecules move into a pattern like a snowflake.
It can help with protein detection, overcoming the limitations of normal devices that perform this. Nanoprobes that target proteins more accurately are the next level and real. Nanoprobes are devices that use X-rays instead of visible light to form images of small structures like blood vessels or cells.
Nanomaterials (nanoparticles for drug delivery and tumor imaging) and nanotechnology have valuable applications in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Current cancer therapy (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy) is vulnerable in damaging normal tissues. Nanotechnology helps target the exact cancerous cells and neoplasms — making the therapy more effective.
Sometimes, replacing tissue is difficult, as the body rejects foreign substances. Nanoparticle tissue engineering can make new tissues with which the bone and the tissues fuse together. This could be a leap for future surgeries and transplants. Nanotechnology also deals with cell manipulations, that can provide protective coating on people’s skin. And, nanoparticle-filled ink can conduct electricity, enough to light an LED bulb.
Nanotechnology is transforming material science. For example, Buckypaper (macroscopic aggregate of carbon nanotubes) is being studied for potential revolution in construction, transportation, energy sectors and day-to-day life. Buckypaper can be used to build much more efficient cars and airplanes, saving energy and reducing emissions. Nano-engineered materials are used to make improved quality degreasers, stain removers, air purifiers and paints.
Nanoparticles are being used as catalyst in petroleum refining and automotive converters, reducing the pollutants and overall cost.
Nanotechnology is having things change on the smallest scale imaginable and causing the biggest advancements in the world. More inventions and applications are on the way in coming years, as nanotechnology continues to revolutionize the world.
Vaageesha Das is a rising 10th grader at Morgantown High School. Today’s information comes from: nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition; “Nanotechnology in Biology” powerpoint presentation by Louie A. Baca Jr. and Eric Hagedorn; nanotechetc.com/6-of-the-best-applications-of-nanotechnology-in-biology-and-medicine/; cancer.gov/publications/
dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/nanoprobe; and popsci.com/science/article/
2012-11/7-amazing-ways-nanotechnology-changing-world/.
