MODULE 14: THE NANO WORLD

OVERVIEW

Nanotechnology refers broadly to a field of

applied science and technology whose
unifying theme is the control of matter on
the molecular level in scales smaller than 1
micrometre, normally 1 to 100 nanometers,
and the fabrication of devices within that
size range.
Nanotechnology is being used in developing
countries to help treat disease and prevent
health issues. The umbrella term for this kind of nanotechnology is Nano-medicine.
Nanotechnology is also being applied to or developed for application to a variety of industrial
and purification processes.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

1. Define nanotechnology
2. Illustrate nanoscale
3. Describe the various uses of nanotechnology
4. Discuss concerns on the use of nanotechnology
5. Explain the status of the use of nanotechnology in the Philippines.

ENGAGE

NANOTECHNOLOGY

What It Is and How It Works?

 EXPLORE

1. Nanoscale and Nano materials

2. Government Funding for Nanotechnology in Different Countries

3. Applications of Nanotechnology in the Philippines

4. Nanotech Roadmap for the Philippines and other countries (funded by PCAS-TRD-DOST)

5. Benefits and Concerns of Using Nanotechnology

EXPLAIN

I. NANOSCALE AND NANOMATERIALS

A nanoscale is a technological tool that was developed by advancement in science and

technology.
 Nanotechnology refers to the science, engineering, and technology conducted
at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. It involves operating at a very small
dimension and allows scientists to make use of the exceptional optical, chemical, physical,
mechanical, and biological qualities of materials of that small scale. A nanometer is a length
equivalent to one billionth of a meter, or 10-9 of a meter.

Viewing Nanomaterials

Materials which can’t be seen by a naked eye can be viewed using special types of
microscope. Some of the known microscopes used by scientists to view nanomaterials are:

1. Electron Microscope
The first of this kind was built by German Engineers Ernst Ruska and Max
Knoll during the 1930s.

It utilizes a particle beam of electrons to light up a specimen and develop a magnified

image as large as a million times its original size. They produce higher and better resolution
than its predecessor, the conventional light microscope. The two general types are:

a. SEM – Scanning Electron Microscope

b. TEM – Transmission Electron Microscope
2. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
First developed by Gerd Binig, Calvin Quate, and Christoph Gerber in 1986,
this microscope uses a mechanical probe to gather information from the
surface of the material.
3. Scanning Tunneling Microscope
It was developed by Gerd Binig and Heinrich Rohrer in 1986. They won the
Nobel Prize in Physics for this invention because this microscope enabled
scientists to view and manipulate nanoscale particles, small molecules, and
even atoms.
 Nanomanufacturing

It is a scaled-up, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing of nanoscale materials,

structures, devices, and systems. It leads to the development of new products and improved
materials.

The two fundamental approaches to nanomanufacturing are:

1. Bottom-up Fabrication
This is a method which is time-consuming because it manufactures products from
atomic- and molecular-scale components.
2. Top-down Fabrication
This process needs larger amounts of materials and discards excess raw materials
because it trims down large pieces of materials into nanoscale.

There are, however new approaches to the assembly of nanomaterials based from the
application of principles in top-down and bottom-up fabrications. These include the following:

1. Dip Pen Lithography

This method uses the tip of an Atomic Force Microscope which is dipped into a
chemical fluid and then utilized to write on a surface.
2. Self-assembly
 This is an approach wherein components join together to form an organized
structure in the absence of an outside direction.
3. Chemical Vapor Deposition
It is a procedure wherein chemicals act in response to form very pure, high-
performance films.
4. Nanoimprint Lithography
It is a method of generating nanoscale attributes by stamping or printing them into a
surface.
5. Molecular Beam Epitaxy
It is a method of depositing extremely controlled thin films.
6. Roll-to-roll Processing
It is a high-volume practice for constructing nanoscale devices on a roll of ultrathin
plastic or metal.
7. Atomic Layer Epitaxy
It is a method of laying down one-atom-thick layers on a surface.

With the use of these techniques, nanomaterials are manufactured to be more

durable, stronger, lighter, water-repellent, ultraviolet- or infrared-resistant, scratch-resistant,
electrically conductive, antireflective, antifog, antimicrobial, self-cleaning, among others. They
lead to the manufacture of the present variety of products such as tennis rackets and baseball
bats to catalysts for purifying crude oil and ultrasensitive recognition and classification of
biological and chemical toxins.

The future is very much promising with the possibility of the development of
computers that are better, more efficient, with larger storage capacity, faster, and energy-
savers. Nanotechnology, too has the potential of manufacturing highly-efficient, low-cost
batteries and solar cells.

Unique Features of Nanoscale

The following are distinct features of nanoscale

1. Scale at which much biology occurs.

A lot of cell activities take place at the nanoscale. A DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is only about 2
nanometers (0.000000002 meter) in diameter. Furthermore, the hemoglobin is only about 5.5
nanometers (0.0000000055 meter).

A lot of modern-day researches focus on advancing procedures, therapies, tools, and

treatments that are more accurate and custom-made than traditional methods and cause no
side-effects on the body.
One example is the bio-barcode assay, which is an inexpensive approach in identifying specific
disease markers in the blood despite their small number in a certain specimen.

2. Scale at which quantum effects dominate properties of materials.

Nanomaterials have properties that are significantly discrete from particles of bigger
dimensions. The properties of materials are highly dependent on their size. Among the essential
properties of nanoscale that change as a function of size include chemical reactivity,
fluorescence, magnetic permeability, melting point, and electrical conductivity.

A good example is the nanoscale gold, whose electrons display restricted motion. Practically,
nanoscale gold particles selectively build up in tumors, and thus it permit both precise imaging
and targeted laser destruction of the tumor while avoiding damage on healthy cells.

3. Nanoscale materials have far larger surface areas than similar masses of larger-scale
materials.

If the surface area per mass of a particular material is increased, a greater amount of the
material comes in contact with another material and can affect its reactivity.

If one cubic centimeter is filled with micrometer-sized cubes – a trillion (1012) of them, each
with a surface area of 6 square micrometers – the total surface area amounts to 6 square
meters. When that single cubic centimeter of volume is filled with 1-nanometer-sized cubes –
1012 of them, each with an area of 6 square nanometers – their total surface area will be 6,000
square meters.

II. NANOTECHNOLOGY GOVERNMENT FUNDING IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES

1. National Nanotechnology Initiative of the United States (NNI)

The best-known and most-funded program which was established in 2001 and with
2008 and 2009 budgets of $1.4 billion and $1.5 billion, respectively.
2. European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council (ENIAC)
Established by the European Commission in February 2008.
3. Japan (Nanotechnology Research Institute, under the National Institute for
Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, AIST)
4. Taiwan (Taiwan National Science and Technology Program for Nanoscience and
Nanotechnology)
5. India (Nanotechnology Research and Education Foundation)
6. China (National Center for Nanoscience and Technology)
7. Israel (Israel National Nanotechnology Initiative)
8. Australia (Australian Office of Nanotechnology)
 9. Canada (National Institute for Nanotechnology or NINT)
10. South Korea (Korea National Nanotechnology Initiative)
11. Thailand (National Nanotechnology Center or NANOTEC)
12. Malaysia (National [Malaysia] Nanotechnology Initiative or NNI)

III. APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES

1. ICT and semiconductors

ICT or Information Communication Technology is another/extensional term for information

technology (IT) which stresses the role of unified communications while semi – conductors any
of a class of solids (such as germanium or silicon) whose electrical conductivity is between that
of a conductor and that of an insulator in being nearly as great as that of a metal at high
temperatures and nearly absent at low temperatures. Nanotechnology is throwing the
doors open to a hyper-tech era in which electronics and information and communication
technology (ICT) are going to become ubiquitous. Nanoelectronics are paving the way to
miniaturized supercomputers and bringing about the development of pervasive computing all
the way down to the so-called ‘smart dust’. It is already generating ultrafast semiconductors
and microprocessors, not to mention low voltage and high brightness displays. Nanotechnology
can now realistically look forward to a much longed-for quantum computing breakthrough.

2. Health and medicine

Nanomedicine, the application of nanotechnology to human healthcare, offers numerous

potential pathways to improving medical diagnosis and therapy and even to regenerate tissues
and organs. It can provide personalized yet more affordable healthcare while at the same time
offering an improved quality of life for everyone. Nanomedicine is also a strategic issue for the
competitive position of the healthcare industry in Europe.

3. Energy

Nanotechnology’s great sustainability promise is to bring about the much needed power
shift in renewable energy: a new generation of highly efficient photovoltaics, nanocomposites
for stronger and lighter wind energy rotor blades, to name but two; but also a new class of
nanomembranes for carbon capture at fossil fuel power plants.
4. Food and agriculture
5. Environment

Nanotechnological products, processes and applications are expected to contribute

significantly to environmental and climate protection by saving raw materials, energy and water
as well as by reducing greenhouse gases and hazardous wastes. Using nanomaterials therefore
promises certain environmental benefits and sustainability effects. Nanotechnology make
battery recycling economically attractive,radioactive waste clean-up in water and
nanotechnology-based solutions for oil spills are some applications of nanotechnology in the
environment.

IV. NANOTECH ROADMAP FOR THE PHILIPPINES – FUNDED BY PCASTRD-DOST

1. ICT and semiconductors

2. Health and biomedical
3. Energy
4. Environment
5. Agriculture and food
6. Health and environmental risk
7. Nano-metrology
8. Education and public awareness
V. BENEFITS AND CONCERNS OF USING NANOTECHNOLOGY

With the increased presence of nanomaterials in commercial products, a

growing public debate is emerging on whether the environmental and social costs of
nanotechnology outweigh its many benefits. To date, few studies have investigated the
toxicological and environmental effects of direct and indirect exposure to nanomaterials and no
clear guidelines exist to quantify these effects.

EXAMPLE OF AREAS
AFFECTED BY POSSIBLE BENEFITS CONCERNS
NANOTECHNOLOGY
 Environment  Improved detection and
removal of contaminants
 Development of benign
industrial processes and
materials
Health  Improved medicine
Economy  Better products
 New jobs
 High reactivity and toxicity
 Pervasive distribution in
the environment
 No nano-specific EPA
regulation
 Ability to cross cell
membranes and
translocate in the body
 No FDA approval needed
for cosmetics or
supplements
 Redistribution of wealth
 Potential cost of cleanups
and healthcare
 Accessibility to all income
levels

While nanotechnology is seen as the way of the future and is a technology that a lot of
people think will bring a lot of benefit for all who will be using it, nothing is ever perfect and
there will always be pros and cons to everything.

BENEFITS

• Nanotechnology can actually revolutionize a lot of electronic products, procedures, and

applications. The areas that benefit from the continued development of nanotechnology
when it comes to electronic products include Nano transistors, Nano diodes, OLED,
plasma displays, quantum computers, and many more.

• Nanotechnology can also benefit the energy sector. The development of more effective
energy-producing, energy-absorbing, and energy storage products in smaller and more
efficient devices is possible with this technology. Such items like batteries, fuel cells, and
solar cells can be built smaller but can be made to be more effective with this
technology.

• Another industry that can benefit from nanotechnology is the manufacturing sector that
will need materials like nanotubes, aerogels, Nano particles, and other similar items to
produce their products with. These materials are often stronger, more durable, and
lighter than those that are not produced with the help of nanotechnology.

• In the medical world, nanotechnology is also seen as a boon since these can help with
creating what is called smart drugs. These help cure people faster and without the side
 effects that other traditional drugs have. You will also find that the research of
nanotechnology in medicine is now focusing on areas like tissue regeneration, bone
repair, immunity and even cures for such ailments like cancer, diabetes, and other life
threatening diseases.

CONCERNS

• Included in the list of disadvantages of this science and its development is the
possible loss of jobs in the traditional farming and manufacturing industry.

• You will also find that the development of nanotechnology can also bring about the
crash of certain markets due to the lowering of the value of oil and diamonds due to the
possibility of developing alternative sources of energy that are more efficient and
wonrequire the use of fossil fuels. This can also mean that since people can now develop
products at the molecular level, diamonds will also lose its value since it can now be mass
produced.

• Atomic weapons can now be more accessible and made to be more powerful and
more destructive. These can also become more accessible with nanotechnology.

• Since these particles are very small, problems can actually arise from the inhalation
of these minute particles, much like the problems a person gets from inhaling minute
asbestos particles.

• Presently, nanotechnology is very expensive and developing it can cost you a lot of
money. It is also pretty difficult to manufacture, which is probably why products made
with nanotechnology are more expensive.

SOCIAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON NANOTECHNOLOGY

1. Who will benefit from it? On the other hand, who won’t?
2. For whom and what are your objectives for developing your product?
3. How will it affect social, economic, and political relationships?
4. What problem is your product trying to solve?
5. Who will have access to it? Who will be excluded?
6. Are there dangers involved with its development (e.g., safety, health, pollution)? How
can you minimize them?
7. Who will own it? How can you assure access to it?
 EXTEND List down at least 5 recent innovations or advancements in
nanotechnology in different countries.

EVALUATE
Multiple Choice: Choose the best answer from the given choices below.
Write the letter of your answer.

1. It means nanometer.
a. billionth of a meter b. millionth of a meter
c. thousandth of a meter d. hundredth of a meter
2. A microscope that makes use of a mechanical probe that gathers information from the
surface of a nonmaterial.
a. scanning tunnelling microscope b. atomic force microscope
c. electron microscope d. electric microscope
3. Refers to the approach to the assembly of nanomaterials by depositing
extremely controlled thin films.
a. Roll -to -roll processing b. atomic layer epitaxy
c. molecular beam epitaxy d. self-assembly
4. It is a distinct feature of nanoscale.
a. A scale at which much biology such as DNA and haemoglobin occurs
b. A scale at which quantum effects dominate properties of materials
c. A nanoscale materials have far larger surface areas than similar
masses of larger scale materials
d. all of the above
5. Which of the following best describes nanomaterials?
a. durable and stronger
b. scratch-resistant and antireflective
c. infrared resistant and antimicrobial
d. all of the above
6. Applications of nanotechnology in the Philippines.
a. ICT and semiconductors b. Health and Medicine
c. Food and agriculture d. all of the above
7. Considered as a possible benefit of the application of nanotechnology in
our environment.
a. development of benign industrial processes and materials
b. improved medicine
c. better products
 d. high reactivity and toxicity
8. A concern that need to be addressed before using and promoting
materials from nanotechnology.
a. Nanotechnology may introduce new efficiencies and paradigms
which may make some natural resources and current practices
uncompetitive or obsolete.
b. Nanotechnology is not a single technology
c. Nanotechnology seeks to develop new materials with specific
properties
d. all of the above
9. Which of the following is a correct social and ethical considerations in
conducting research on nanotechnology
a. Are there dangers involved with its development?
b. For whom and what are your objectives?
b. How will it affect social , economic and political relationships?
d. all of the above
10 . He started the concepts of nanotechnology and nanoscience year 1959.

a. Prof. Norio Taniguchi b. Rosalie Ellasus

c. Richard Feynman d. Marco Lambertini

REFERENCES:

1. Serafica, Janice Patria J. et. Al. (2018) Science Technology and Society, 1st Edition,
Rex Book Store
2. https://www.aiha.org/aihce07/handouts/rt201krause.pdf
3. https://www.fhmuenster.de/ciw/downloads/personal/juestel/.../
Nanotechnology.pdf
4. google.com/search?
q=nanotechnology&rlz=1C1GGRV_enPH812PH812&oq=nano&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j
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q=nanotechnology&rlz=1C1GGRV_enPH812PH812&oq=nano&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j
46i433j0i433l2j0j0i131i433j0i433l2.5178j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8