MODULE 12 158

The Nano World

HOW TO LEARN FROM THIS MODULE

Here’s a simple guide for you in going about the module:
1. Read and follow the instructions carefully.
2. Read each lesson and do all the activities provided for you.
3. Perform all the activities diligently to help and guide you in understanding the topic.
4. Take the Learning Activities after each lesson to determine how well you understood
the topic.
5. Answer the Assessment Task at the end of the module to measure how much you have
gained from the lessons. You may answer it via the online link provided or write your
answers on a sheet of paper that you can physically submit, or you may take a picture
of your answers and send it via messaging platforms with which you agreed with your
instructor during the class orientation.

INTRODUCTION

Scientific researchers made some innovations that lead to the advancement of

technology that can be used in different aspects. Nanotechnology deals with the
dimensions and tolerances of less than 100 nm, especially in the manipulation of
individual atoms and molecules. Nano science and nanotechnology employs the study
and application of exceptionally small things in other areas of science including
materials science, engineering, physics, biology and chemistry (NNI, 2017). In addition,
research studies shows the increasing potential impacts of the use of nanomaterials in
heath, medicine, environment, agriculture, energy production and other areas in the
community.

This module focuses on defining nanotechnology, its applications to the various

areas of society, the risks it imposes and any activities to widen our understanding to
the nano world. After completing the module, you should be able to answer the
following:
 What are the major concerns related to nanotechnology in the community?
 What is the status of the use of nanotechnology in the Philippines?

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, the learner should be able to:

o Discuss the benefits and risks of nanotechnology in the society;

o Discuss the major impacts (both potential and realized) of nanotechnology
on society;
o Analyze the issue through the conceptual STS lenses; and
o Critique the issue on its costs and benefits to society

LEARNING CONTENT
What is Nanotechnology?
The idea of nanotechnology and Nano science
started on December 29, 1959 when American Theoretical
Physicist Richard Feynman introduce a method in which
scientists can direct and control individual atoms and
molecules in his talk “ There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”
at an annual meeting of the American Physical Society at
Caltech (NNI, 2017)

Professor Norio Taniguchi used the term

NANOTECHNOLOGY to describe semi-conductor
processes such as thin film deposition and ion beam milling
exhibiting characteristic control on the order of nanometer.
Moreover, the invention of Scanning Tunnelling Microscope Fig. 12.1 Richard Feynman
and Atomic Force microscopy marked the beginning of
Nanotechnology. These instruments enable scientists to see and manipulate atoms.

Therefore, nanotechnology is the study of phenomena and fine-tuning of

materials at atomic, molecular and macromolecular scale, where properties differ
significantly from those at a large scale. (European Commission). Nanotechnology is an
advanced interdisciplinary field that encompasses science and technology that
manufactures materials of great help to the improvement of various areas of society
especially health care, environment, energy, food, water and agriculture.

LESSON 1. Nanomaterials and Nano Scale

Nanomaterials are chemical substances or materials that are manufactured and

used at a very small scale. Nanomaterials are developed to exhibit novel characteristics
compared to the same material without nanoscale features, such as increased strength,
chemical reactivity or conductivity.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Science discussed that nano-

sized particles exist in nature and can be created from a variety of products, such as

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carbon or minerals like silver, but nanomaterials by definition must have at least one
dimension that is less than approximately 100 nanometers. Most nanoscale materials
are too small to be seen with the naked eye and even with conventional laboratory
microscopes.
Materials engineered to such a small scale are often referred to as engineered
nanomaterials (ENMs), which can take on unique optical, magnetic, electrical, and other
properties. These emergent properties have the potential for great impacts in
electronics, medicine, and other fields. For example:

1. Nanotechnology can be used to design pharmaceuticals that can target specific

organs or cells in the body such as cancer cells, and enhance the effectiveness
of therapy.
2. Nanomaterials can also be added to cement, cloth and other materials to make
them stronger and yet lighter.
3. Their size makes them extremely useful in electronics, and they can also be used
in environmental remediation or clean-up to bind with and neutralize toxins.

A nanometer is a billionth of a meter (109). The illustration below shows how small
Nano scale is compared to other particles or materials.

Fig. 12.2 The Nanoscopic Scale

Source: https://study.com/academy/lesson/nanometers-definition-symbol-quiz.html

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APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanotechnology is being used in several applications that may leads to the

advancement of our environment and improve quality of life. The following are:

MEDICINE Researchers developed customized nanoparticles the size of molecules that

can deliver drugs directly to diseased cells in your body. This method could
greatly eradicate the damage treatment such as chemotherapy.
ELECTRONICS Nanotechnology holds some answers for how we might increase the
capabilities of electronic devices while we reduce their weight and power
consumption.
FOOD Nanotechnology is having an impact on several aspects of food science,
from how food is grown to how it is package.
FUEL CELLS Nanotechnology is being used to reduce the cost of catalysts, used in fuel
cells to produce hydrogen ions from fuels such as methanols to improve the
efficiency of membranes used in fuel cells to separate hydrogen ions from
other gases such as oxygen.
SOLAR CELLS Companies have developed nanotech solar cells that can be manufactured
at significantly lower costs done conventional solar cells.
Companies are currently developing a batteries using nanomaterials. One
BATTERIES such a battery will be a good as new after sitting in the shelf for decades’.
Another battery can be recharged significantly faster than conventional
batteries.
SPACE Nanotechnology may hold the key to making space-flight more practical.
Advancements in nanomaterial makes lightweight spacecraft and cables for
the space elevator possible. By significantly reducing the amount of rocket
fuel required, these advances could lower the cost of reaching orbit and
traveling in space.
FUEL Nanotechnology can address the shortage of fossil fuels such as diesels

BETTER AIR Nano technology can improve the performance of catalysts used to
QUALITY transform vapours escaping from cars and industrial plants into harmless
gases.
CLEANER Nanotechnology is being used to develop solutions to solve different
WATER problems in water quality. Nanoparticles can be used to convert the
contaminating chemicals through chemical reaction to make it harmless.
CHEMICAL Nanotechnology can enable sensors to detect the very small amounts of
SENSORS chemical vapors. Various types of detecting elements such as carbon
nanotubes, zinc oxide nanowires or palladium nanoparticles can be used in
nanotechnology-based sensors. Since these materials are small. It allows to
detect a very low concentration of chemical vapors.
FABRICS Making composite fabrics with nano-sized particles or fibers allows
improvement of fabric properties without a significant increase in weight,
thickness, or stiffness as might have been the case with previously-used
techniques.

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Nanomanufacturing

Manufacturing at the nanoscale is known as nanomanufacturing. It involves

scaled-up, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing of nanoscale materials, structures,
devices, and systems. It also includes research, development, and integration of top-
down processes and increasingly complex bottom-up or self-assembly processes. In
more simple terms, nanomanufacturing leads to the production of improved materials
and new products (https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/manufacturing).
There are two basic approaches to nanomanufacturing:
1. Top-down fabrication reduces large pieces of materials all the way down to
the nanoscale, like someone carving a model airplane out of a block of wood.
This approach requires larger amounts of materials and can lead to waste if
excess material is discarded.
2. The bottom-up approach to nanomanufacturing creates products by building
them up from atomic- and molecular-scale components, which can be time-
consuming. Scientists are exploring the concept of placing certain molecular-
scale components together that will spontaneously “self-assemble,” from the
bottom up into ordered structures.
There are also a growing number of new processes that enable nano
manufacturing:

 Chemical vapor deposition is a process in which chemicals react to produce

very pure, high-performance film
 Molecular beam epitaxy is one method for depositing highly controlled thin
films
 Atomic layer epitaxy is a process for depositing one-atom-thick layers on a
surface
 Dip pen lithography is a process in which the tip of an atomic force
microscope is "dipped" into a chemical fluid and then used to "write" on a
surface, like an old fashioned ink pen onto paper
 Nanoimprint lithography is a process for creating nanoscale features by
"stamping" or "printing" them onto a surface
 Roll-to-roll processing is a high-volume process to produce nanoscale
devices on a roll of ultrathin plastic or metal
 Self-assembly describes the process in which a group of components come
together to form an ordered structure without outside direction

Structures and properties of materials can be improved through these

nanomanufacturing processes. Such nanomaterials can be stronger, lighter, more
durable, water-repellent, anti-reflective, self-cleaning, ultraviolet- or infrared-resistant,
anti-fog, antimicrobial, scratch-resistant, or electrically conductive, among other traits.

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Fig. 12.3 & 12.4 A product of nanomanufacturing: A 16 gauge wire (left), approximately 1.3 millimeters in
diameter, made from carbon nanotubes that were spun into thread. And the same wire on a 150 ply spool (right.)
Courtesy of Nanocomp. Source: https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/manufacturing

Please click/ visit the link below:

Read more about
nanotechnology on consumer https://www.understandingnano.
products using the link
provided.
com/nanotechnology-consumer-
products.html
READ

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. More on Products of Nanotechnology.

(Lesson Check – Up)

Give atleast four (4) specific products of Nanotechnology, its uses and
impact to the society. Refer to the table below and submit your output via _________.

Products Uses Impact to the Society

On a clean sheet of paper, write your reflection on the question:

1. What are the factors that need to be considered before

manufacturing materials through nanotechnology?

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LESSON 2. Risks Involved in the Use of Nanotechnology

Nanoparticles are likely to be dangerous for three main reasons:

(https://www.ohsrep.org.au/nanotechnology_-_a_new_hazard)

1. Nanoparticles may damage the lungs. We know that 'ultra fine' particles from
diesel machines, power plants and incinerators can cause considerable damage
to human lungs. This is both because of their size (as they can get deep into the
lungs) and also because they carry other chemicals including metals and
hydrocarbons in with them.
2. Nanoparticles can get into the body through the skin, lungs and digestive system.
This may help create 'free radicals' which can cause cell damage and damage to
the DNA. There is also concern that once nanoparticles are in the bloodstream
they will be able to cross the blood-brain barrier.
3. The human body has developed a tolerance to most naturally occurring elements
and molecules that it has contact with. It has no natural immunity to new
substances and is more likely to find them toxic.

The danger of contact with nanoparticles is not just speculation. As more

research is undertaken, concerns increase. Here are some of the recent findings:
 Some nanoparticles cause lung damage in rats. Several studies have shown that
carbon nanotubes, which are similar in shape to asbestos fibres, cause
mesothelioma in the lungs of rats. Other nanoparticles have been shown to lead
to brain damage in fish and dogs
 A German study found clear evidence that if discrete nanometer diameter
particles were deposited in the nasal region (in rodents in this case), they
completely circumvented the blood/brain barrier, and travelled up the olfactory
nerves straight into the brain.
 Inhaled carbon nanotubes can suppress the immune system by affecting the
function of T cells, a type of white blood cell that organizes the immune system to
fight infections.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2. Let’s dig deeper!

(Lesson Check – Up)
List down the benefits and risks of nanotechnology in the society. Use the
given links below to guide you. Submit your output in word or PDF format
through ______________.
https://www.microscopemaster.com/nanotechnology.html
https://www.ijser.org/researchpaper/Recent-Advances-in-Nanotechnology.pdf

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 ASSESSMENT TASK

Nanotechnology in the Philippines

Due to its potential impacts, nanotechnology has been gaining popularity
worldwide. The Philippines with its vast naturally-occurring nanomaterials such as clay,
limestone, etc., has large potential in the field of nanotechnology. With this, determine
the possible applications of nanotechnology in the Philippines search on the
government’s strategic planning and projects related to nanotechnology.
Put your output in word or pdf format and be sure to submit it on ___________at
_______________ or email it at _______________________________.

Nanotechnology is an advanced interdisciplinary field that

encompasses science and technology that manufactures materials of great
help to the improvement of various areas of society especially health care,
environment, energy, food, water and agriculture. Moreover, exploring and
engaging to nanotechnology needs to take into account the social, ethical and
environmental concerns of using such nanomaterials.

 REFERENCES:
 Covid-19 and Nanotechnology. Accessed 5 July 2020 at
http://www.understandingnano.com
 Jacob, James Kennard et. al. 2018 Science Technology and Society.
Malabon City, Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
 Manufacturing at the Nanoscale. National Nanotechnology Initiative, 2017.
Accessed 5 July 2020 at https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-
101/what/manufacturing
 Nanomaterials (N.D). National Institute of Environmental Health and
Sciences. Accessed 15 June 2020 at
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-nano/index.cfm
 Serafica, J. P. J., Pawilen, G. T., Caslib, B. N. B., & Alata, E. J. P,.
Science, Technology and Society, First Edition 2018, Rex Book Store, Inc.
Manila

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