Most of us have ever heard the word “nanotechnology” from our lives, yet very few know what the true meaning of this word is, yet it is commonly related to things of the smallest size. However, the relationship with the small is correct, but in a matter of applications very few people know for sure what nanotechnology can be used for.
Although it is a relatively new technology, it has had an extremely rampant and rapid growth throughout its little existence, without a doubt it can be said that nanotechnology is one of the sciences of tomorrow.
Many countries have started investment programs to further study this science, since it is of great importance for different activities such as education and training, as well as for different social factors.
WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY?
"Nanotechnology is a new approach focused on understanding and mastering the properties of matter at the nanometer scale." (Schulenburg, 2004)
With the previous definition we can know a little better what nanotechnology is, however this concept is a little broader than it actually seems. However, firstly, in order to give a correct meaning to this definition, we must know what the word nano means, since we only relate it to the small, however we do not know how small something of that size is.
The wordreference website says that the word nano means "millionth," however, having an idea of how small it is is not easy, as a reference, something nano in size can be the length of a molecule.
At this size, matter has extremely interesting and important properties, offering possible solutions to many problems that presently arise by making use of:
- Materials Components Small systems
These small systems have great advantages, as they are extremely lighter, faster and with benefits.
However, the solutions that nanotechnology can provide is not only for the industrial field, but also provides benefits to the environment, thus solving some environmental problems, this being offered thanks to the processes and products that can be generated through nanotechnology can be:
- Better adjusted to specific uses Great savings can be obtained from resources The polluting emissions and waste generated by this type of technology is much less than that of a process or product on a regular scale
Currently, many countries are already investing heavily in order to understand and use nanotechnology on a regular basis. However, European countries began investing resources for nanotechnology knowledge in the 1990s.
This has generated that greater knowledge is obtained, bringing benefits both for society and for industry.
And this is how we can realize that human civilization has placed great expectations on the future of nanotechnology, but it is still difficult to imagine that nanotechnology is already in the present and that it is no longer science fiction.
That is why we call it the technology of the future, which many scientists believe may be able to revolutionize society again just as microelectronics did in the mid-20th century. Until today it has been contemplated that the benefits of this science can be unlimited, so as this technology is used, side effects will arise with it or so-called "risks" for the intensive use that may be given.
So the passage from laboratories to the market is somewhat uncertain, as it may be that it generates very large economic benefits for the companies that develop and explore this technology as efficiently as possible, or the moral and ethical impact may be very great.. It is for this reason that always with something of new creation the benefits and the secondary effects that it may contract with it must be evaluated, as if it were a new medicine that is going to be launched to cure any disease.
THE WORLD OF THE INVISIBLE
When we analyze the perspective of the world from our point of view as humans, smallness does not make us feel bigger, but in some way puzzles us, so many times it is assumed that the world of tiny objects does not exist and this is absolutely normal, since our eyes are not prepared to see the smallest objects. However, if we were to see anything under a microscope, we would realize that there are many more things that exist such as:
- Cells Bacteria Viruses Molecules Atoms
This is how we can say that the world of the invisible is as big as the universe, assimilating that it is an extremely important challenge for us to have an approach to the greatness of the small.
Over the years, it has been possible to detect that the use of nanotechnology has brought with it a large number of benefits and applications for the life of the human being, although it is somewhat difficult for our minds to understand. Next, mention will be made of the applications that have been given to nanotechnology to this day.
NANOMATERIALS
"Nanomaterials are materials with morphological properties smaller than a micrometer in at least one dimension." (Díaz del Castillo, 2012)
Nanomaterials have different types of properties and all depend on their composition and the movement of electrons through it.
Nanomaterials have a classification given by the Environment Agency (EPA), this agency considers that there are four types of nanomaterials which are:
- Carbon based. These are mostly made of carbon and have different shapes such as hollow spheres, ellipsoids or tubes, based on metals. These nanomaterials include quantum dots, gold, silver nanoparticles, and metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Dendrimers. They are nano-sized polymers built from branched units, which combine nanoparticles with others or with larger materials. (Díaz del Castillo, 2012)
NANO TOOLS
Nano tools are tools that allow us to see and manipulate nanometer-sized elements with unimaginable simplicity, however being able to use these tools requires technical knowledge.
Nano tools would not have been possible to develop previously if there had not been quantum physics.
"These nano tools have many uses, such as for example in medicine, biology and biochemistry." (López Martínez, 2008)
This has made the nano tools are in constant development.
NANOCHEMISTRY
"Nanochemistry is all those activities in nanoscience and nanotechnology that have in common the use of traditional chemistry approaches and tools to create, develop, and study objects that have useful properties due to their nanoscopic dimensions." (Veciana, 2008)
As it could be seen in the aforementioned definition, nanochemistry is extremely important to be able to analyze objects of nanometric size, with which some type of benefit can be achieved in different areas such as:
- EnergyCommunication and information technologiesHealthQuality of lifeTransport
For this reason, this field of nanotechnology must be studied in depth, since the economic impact it can generate is very important.
NANOELECTRONICA
Nanoelectronics is basically the use of nanotechnology to create electronic components of nanometric sizes.
Nanoelectronics is regularly used to manufacture transistors and processors that are used in current devices such as computers, cell phones, video game consoles, etc.
Nanoelectronics is seen as the next step of microelectronics, since with nanoelectric elements you can have better efficiencies of electronic components.
NANOTECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
As we have seen throughout the history of humanity, technology has evolved, making our ways of living completely different as time passes, since new technologies are presented to be able to make our lives more comfortable in some aspects.
Technological changes previously were seen in a slow way we can see it with the creation of the wheel, stone carving, agriculture, metallurgy, etc., however in recent years, technological changes happen so fast that we are hardly getting used to a technology when another is already originating.
What will happen in the future? Will a new industrial revolution originate? Perhaps it is probable, but it is for all this that new technologies should begin to worry about the environment and its sustainability.
As technology has evolved, many positive aspects for human life have been created, however, these have not been entirely beneficial since some negative aspects have been generated, such as:
- Overexploitation of resources Environmental damage Social inequality Regional imbalance
“There is already the certainty that nanotechnology is an ingredient in industries and the way in which we will carry out our daily activities. Society will change substantially throughout this 21st century, following the dizzying pace of change that began in the last third of the last century ”(Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology, 2008)
This is how we know that nanotechnology will have multiple applications in the economic aspects of most nations, however there are other aspects in which it can have direct implications.
"NANO" + "BIO" + "INFO" + "COGNO": THE NBIC CONVERGENCE
The industrial changes that have originated in history have been involved with the union of various technologies. Generally isolated technologies serve as an incredible solution for solving particular problems, however, after solving them they reach a process of stagnation and this has the effect of generating obsolete products without any type of innovation.
When two or more disciplines converge, new technologies can be generated, observing that in many occasions a single discipline could not generate that type of knowledge separately. A clear example is the new digital age in which we find ourselves living today, which facilitates the interconnection between all the individuals in our world.
In the same way that the digital age was generated, it can be said that nanotechnology is the convergence or union of different disciplines, which give us a look and understand what the nanoworld is, in order to be able to acquire benefits and knowledge of it..
This is how we arrived at a new convergence of disciplines and knowledge, giving rise to the NBIC convergence, which is a union of the following sciences:
- "NANO" has atoms and molecules as a unit "BIO" has proteins and genes unit "INFO" has information bits unit "COGNO" has neurons as units (Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology, 2008)
As can be seen in each of the disciplines just mentioned, there are well-known units, all of them of different sizes, covering the micro, macro and nano parts.
"The objective of this convergence is to produce nano-bio-devices, that affect our health, allow us to better interact with each other and our environment and that generate information with which to carry out adequate decision-making." (Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology, 2008)
This new knowledge called NBIC convergence, is being developed so that we as human beings can have many benefits by implanting nanodevices in our bodies, thus increasing the life expectancy of each human being, so that this could happen, the nanodevices could have the ability to monitor our health condition in real time and be linked to medical centers which could have a better diagnosis with the information that these devices could generate.
Not only the above could be the only benefit to our health, but it is also thought that these nanodevices have the power to combat a tumor in its early stages, biodegradable prostheses can be made or even parts of our bodies can be rebuilt as those of people who have had some spinal damage due to some type of accident they have had at any time. However, as it is well known that all things have two sides to the coin, on the one hand there are the benefits that this new knowledge could generate and on the other hand, it could be that underdeveloped countries put some type of limitation or regulations due to the increase in life rate of human beings, which would bring with it a shortage of resources, an increase in the elderly, etc.It is there where science is limited by being able to generate new technologies that could help us to have a better quality of life.
Likewise, as the direct benefits to the human being are mentioned, it can also be said that we want the quality of life to continue improving globally, emphasizing in the same way in minimizing the aggression that could be given to our planet, thus nanotechnology It could be beneficial for the environment, thus being able to provide tools with which it could be guaranteed that our planet does not deteriorate.
CONCLUSION
As it could be observed, nanotechnology has a large number of applications in the livelihood of human beings, whether in the field of electronics, health or even in the environment that surrounds us, however, being a relatively new unknown the impacts for sure that it could contract our human society, even so many organizations have decided to carry out tests in controlled ways to check the positive and negative effects that this new knowledge could generate, so that in the future not very Far away this becomes a global reality.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Díaz del Castillo, F. (2012). Introduction to nanomaterials. Cuautitlán Izcalli: UNAM. Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology. (2008). Nanoscience and nanotechnology Between the science fiction of the present and the technology of the future. Madrid: Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology López Martínez, M. (July 2008). Doctoral Thesis / MicroNano-tools for life sciences. Schulenburg, M. (2004). Nanotechnology, Innovations for the world. European Commission, 58, Veciana, J. (2008). phantomsnet.net. Retrieved on February 23, 2016, from http://www.phantomsnet.net/Resources/files/Nanoquimica_alta.pdfcom. (2016). www.wordreference.com. Retrieved on February 23, 2016, from
