EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Nanotech: The Next High-Tech Revolution?
Update:
SVTC has released a nanotechnology time line, detailing the regulations that were passed in the semiconductor industry and which gaps still exist in the nanotechnology industry.
To read SVTC's full report on nanotechnologies, a survey of 129 companies in the Bay Area involved in nanotechnology, as well as a map of these companies locations. Please visit the nanotech report page for more information!
From NanoPods to “being there in a nanosecond,” it seems that nanotechnology is becoming the next big thing. But what is “nano”? Nanotechnology is the name for extremely small materials and machines. There are already more than 200 products on the market containing nanotechnology, including everything from cosmetics to semiconductors. It is an area of rapidly growing research and development that many electronic companies are racing to cash in on. However, there is little research being done to discover the health and environmental impacts of this revolutionary technology.
Nano = One-billionth or 1/1,000,000,000
A nanometer (nm) is one-billionth of a meter, approximately 1/80,000th the width of human hair, or the width of ten hydrogen atoms. Some materials and processes in nature are also this small. However, what makes nanotechnology different is that it is based on the recent ability of humans to consciously engineer materials and machines at the tiny scale of 100 nm or less.
Nanotechnology and Electronics
Electronics manufacturers are the leader in developing nanotechnology. By designing on the nanoscale, engineers can increase performance speed on a semiconductor chip because the information carried has a smaller distance to travel. Intel began producing chips with transistors shorter than 100 nanometers in 2000. Nano-abrasives are new materials that can be used in the electronics industry for the polishing of semiconductors. Particles on the order of 10 nm in diameter are suspended in slurry and used as a polish to remove nanoscale blemishes from the surface of chip, allowing more information at a smaller scale to be stored on the chip.
Nanomaterials are small, but can also be transformed
In addition to size, nanotech is also exciting because many nanomaterials have new, never seen before properties. An existing material, on a nanoscale, can be transformed to have different properties, opening new technological possibilities. An example is the new transparent sunscreen which uses a zincoxide nanomaterial. This new form of zinc oxide is clear rather than the opaque version typically found in sunscreens. Carbon, silicon and copper are some of the substances being targeted by nanotech research.
Buckyballs: Carbon on the Nano Scale
Named after Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome, Buckyballs are a tiny arrangement of 60 carbon atoms in a shape somewhere between a soccer ball and a sphere. Their shape gives them incredible strength for their size, and the hollow center could make them useful in carrying other materials—perhaps delivering either medications or poisons, depending on the application.
Nanotubes: Tiny Conductors
Nanotubes are hollow tubes or rolled graphite with a diameter of just a few carbon atoms. They can be electrically conductive, giving life to the tiniest of wires. They are currently being considered for many applications from transistors to solar cells.
Nanomachines: The Wave of the Future
Nanomachines are tiny devices that have mechanical features at the scale of 100 nm or less. They are in early stages of research and development and mostly used to produce nanomaterials. Nano-gears are tiny machines that could be used as part of a nano-factory to manufacture products and materials at the nanoscale. Nano-bots are tiny robots. They are being developed primarily for military applications such as entering the bloodstream to monitor soldiers’ health and being dropped on the battlefield to collect and transmit information.
Dangers of Nanotech
Nanotechnology is largely untested and unregulated. Along with the promise of great benefits, nanotechnology has the potential to produce great hazards. The small amount of toxicological testing that has been done shows reasons for concern. These test results may simply point to the tip of the iceberg. Learn More!
Nanotech Regulation
In order to protect the public and the environment, the EPA needs to quickly develop and implement regulation of nanotechnology, requiring adequate toxicological evaluation before nano products are released onto the market. Click Here to Learn More
| | | |
|
TAKE ACTION |
GO |
Find Out About The DANGERS Of
Nanotech |
|
TAKE ACTION |
GO |
What Nano
Regulations Should We Pass?
|
| | |
