Nanotechnology—where to from here?
Decades of research and development in nanoscience and nanotechnology have delivered both expected and unexpected benefits for our society. Nanotechnology is helping to improve products across a range of areas, including food safety, medicine and health care, energy, transportation, communications, environmental protection and manufacturing. It is being used in the automotive, electronics and computing industries, in household products, textiles, cosmetics—the list goes on. Already there are over 800 products on the market that are enhanced with nanotechnology.
The ability to tailor the core structures of materials at the nanoscale to achieve specific properties is at the heart of nanotechnology. A few examples of current nanotechnology include the following.
Food security
Nanosensors in packaging can detect salmonella and other contaminants in food.
Medicine
Some of the most exciting breakthroughs in nanotechnology are occurring in the medical field, allowing medicine to become more personalised, cheaper, safer and easier to deliver. The potential for nanotechnology to improve drug-delivery systems for a range of diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other age-related illnesses is an area of intense research for scientists. For example, a 2014 breakthrough saw the development of nano cages, which can theoretically deliver cancer-killing drugs directly at the molecular level.
This drug delivery method would reduce the dosage needed, target cancer cells rather than healthy cells, and reduce side effects. The technology is still being tested and undergoing approvals, but may see some real-world applications start to filter into health care shortly.
Other exciting developments include the possibility of using nanotechnology to increase the growth of nerve cells (for example in a damaged brain or spinal cord), and using nanofibres to help regenerate damaged spinal nerves (currently being tested on mice).
Energy
Nanotechnology is being used in a range of energy areas—to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar panels, create new kinds of batteries, improve the efficiency of fuel production using better catalysts, and create better lighting systems.
Automotive
Nanoengineered materials are in a range of products including high-power rechargeable batteries, fuel additives, fuel cells and improved catalytic converters, which produce cleaner exhaust for longer periods.
Environment
Researchers are developing nanostructured filters that can remove virus cells and other impurities from water, which may ultimately help create clean, affordable and abundant drinking water.
A nanofabric paper towel, which can absorb 20 times its weight in oil, can be used for oil-spill clean-up operations.
Electronics
Many new screen-based appliances (TVs, phones, iPads and so on) incorporate nanostructured polymer films known as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). These screens are brighter, lighter and have a better picture quality, among other things.
Textiles
Nanoscale additives in fabrics help resist staining, wrinkling and bacteria growth.
Cosmetics
Nanoscale materials in a range of cosmetics provide functions such as improved coverage, absorption or cleansing.
Each development teaches us something about the technology, what it’s capable of, and how we can refine it further. These developments are just the beginning.