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Chapter 2 Nanotechnology Modified 1
Chapter 2 Nanotechnology Modified 1
Chemical Engineering
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How Big is a Nanometer?
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How Big is a Nanometer?
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What is a nanomaterial?
A nanomaterial is an object that has at least one dimension in
the nanometre scale (approximately 1 to 100 nm).
Nanomaterials are categorised according to their dimensions
as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Nanomaterials are categorised according to their
dimensions
Nanomaterial dimension Example
All three dimensions < 100 nm Nanoparticles, quantum
dots, nanoshells, nanorings, microcapsules
Two dimensions < 100 nm Nanotubes, fibres, nanowires
One dimension < 100 nm Thin films, layers and coatings
Nanomaterials are larger than single atoms but smaller
than bacteria and cells. It is useful to use a scale such as
the one shown in Figure 2 where students can visualise
the relationship between bulk materials, for example a
tennis ball, and nanomaterials.
Figure 3: Nanoscience is a horizontal-integrating
interdisciplinary science that cuts across all vertical
sciences and engineering disciplines
Some good examples to bring to the classroom:
our fingernails grow at the rate of 1 nm per second;
the head of a pin is about 1 000 000 nm in diameter;
a human hair is about 80 000 nm in diameter;
a DNA molecule is 1–2 nm wide;
the transistor of a latest-generation Pentium Core Duo
processor is 45 nm.
Figure 4: Nanotechnologies are horizontal-enabling
convergent technologies which cross all ver tical
industrial sectors. The different heights of the
industrial sectors in the graph are only indicative
and are intended to emphasise the fact that the
level of impact of nanotechnologies will be different
in each industrial sector.
Figure 1: The colour of gold depends on its size
Unique material properties at the
nanoscale
Surface properties
physical and chemical properties depend on many of
its surface properties. Surfaces perform numerous
functions: they keep things in or out; they allow the flow of
a material or energy across an interface; they can initiate
or terminate a chemical reaction, as in the case of
catalysts. : the material and the surrounding environment
(liquid, solid or gas).
If a bulk material is subdivided into an ensemble of
individual nanomaterials, the total volume remains the
same, but the collective surface area is greatly
increased.
How Surface Area Scales (Changes)
Crushing a 1cm
particle into nano
particles increases the
surface area
thousands of times!
22
How Surface Area Scales (Changes)
1 nm particles 1010 m2
1 micron particles 107 m2
1 cm particles 103 m2
nano 24
Smallness Leads to New Properties
Reactivity
Melting point Bulk Gold
Bulk Aluminum
Strength
Conductivity
Color
Nano Aluminum
Nano Gold
http://www.carterrecycling.com/myimages/aluminum_cans.jpg http://healthewoman.org/2008/11/11/how-healthy-is-your-workplace/
http://mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/nanolab/gold/images/goldp6.jpg http://texasenterprise.org/article/warren-buffet-and-new-calculus-gold
Stained Glass: Size and Shape
Matter
Controlling the Quantum World: The Science of Atoms, Molecules, and Photons, 2007
Stained Glass: Size and Shape
Matter
Particle shape also affects the color!
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Native_gold_nuggets.jpg
http://www.cat.gov.in/technology/laser/lpas/pps.html
Surface energy
Atoms and molecules that exist at the surface or at an
interface are different from the same atoms or
molecules that exist in the interior of a material. This
is true for any material. Atoms and molecules at the
interface have enhanced reactivity and a greater
tendency to agglomerate: surface atoms and
molecules are unstable, they have high surface
energy.
Schematic illustration of the valence and conduction
bands in materials based on their electrical properties:
insulator, semiconductor and conductor
Optical properties
Some nanomaterials display very different optical properties,
such as colour and transparency, compared to bulk
materials. In this section, the reason for this behaviour is
discussed and some examples provided. Before going into
detail, some fundamentals are reviewed.
SIZE
A meter is about the distance from the tip of your
nose to the end of your hand (1 meter = 3.28 feet).
Nanometer:
Nano particles can make materials more chemically reactive and affect
their strength or electrical properties.
Second, quantum effects can begin to dominate the behaviour of matter
at the Nanoscale
Nanoscale materials are divided into three category,
1. Zero dimension – length , breadth and heights are confined at single
point. (for example, Nano dots)
2. One dimension – It has only one parameter either length (or) breadth
(or) height ( example:very thin surface coatings)
3. Two dimensions- it has only length and breadth (for example,
nanowires and nanotubes)
4. Three dimensions -it has all parameter of length, breadth and height.
(for example, Nano Particles).
Nano Particles are the particles of size between 1 nm to 100 nm
• 1 nm is only three to five atoms wide.
• ~40,000 times smaller than the width of an average human hair
• Nanoparticles • Nanotubes
• Nanocapsules • Nanosprings
• Nanofibers • Nanobelts
• Nanowires • Quantum dots
• Fullerenes (carbon 60) • Nanofluidies
Quantum well
• It is a two dimensional system
• The electron can move in two directions and restricted in one
direction.
Quantum Wire
• It is a one-dimensional system
• The electron can move in one direction and restricted in two
directions.
Quantum dot
• It is a zero dimensional system
• The electron movement was restricted in entire three
dimensions
Quantum wire
Quantum wires are ultra fine wires or linear arrays of Nano
dots, formed by self-assembly
They can be made from a wide range of materials such as
Semiconductor Nanowires made of silicon, gallium nitride and
indium phosphide.
Nanowires have potential applications in
Quantum dot
Dimension Variation
Properties of Nano Materials
Applications of Nano Materials
1. Nanotechnology Applications in Medicine
• In this diagram (next page), Nano sized sensing wires are laid
down across a micro fluidic channel. As particles flow through the
micro fluidic channel, the Nanowire sensors pick up the molecular
identifications of these particles and can immediately relay this
information through a connection of electrodes to the outside
world.
• These Nanodevices are man-made constructs made with carbon,
silicon Nanowire.
• They can detect the presence of altered genes associated with
cancer and may help researchers pinpoint the exact location of
those changes
2. Nano Computing Technology
Past
Shared computing thousands of
people sharing a mainframe computer
Present
Personal computing
Future
Ubiquitous computing thousands of computers sharing each
and everyone of us; computers embedded in walls, chairs, clothing,
light switches, cars….; characterized by the connection of things in
the world with computation.
3. Sunscreens and Cosmetics
• Nanosized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are currently used in
some sunscreens, as they absorb and reflect ultraviolet (UV) rays.
• Nanosized iron oxide is present in some lipsticks as a pigment.
4. Fuel Cells
The potential use of nano-engineered membranes to intensify
catalytic processes could enable higher-efficiency, small-scale fuel
cells.
5. Displays
• Nanocrystalline zinc selenide, zinc sulphide, cadmium sulphide and
lead telluride are candidates for the next generation of light-emitting
phosphors.
• CNTs are being investigated for low voltage field-emission displays;
their strength, sharpness, conductivity and inertness make them
potentially very efficient and long-lasting emitters.
6. Batteries