Nano - The Next Big Thing

Scientists predict it could have as much of an impact as the industrial revolution did.
Michael Franco

First there was plain old small. The Japanese perfected that with the transistor radio, then the Walkman. Then we had mini - Alex Issigonis shrunk the car down to city-friendly proportions. Next came micro, as Gordon Moore introduced the microprocessor and founded Intel on the strength of it. Now we have gone even smaller: nano.

Derived from the Greek word for "dwarf," nano refers to all things that take place at the sub-microscopic level. The usual measure of length at this level is the nanometre, which equals one one-millionth of a millimetre. That's small - very small

If you shrunk human beings down to this size, you could easily line up every single person on the planet from one side of an average bedroom to the other - with plenty of space left over.So while things at the nanoscale are tiny indeed, many expect the work being done in this field will have a gargantuan an impact on society. Scientists predict it could have as much of an impact as the industrial revolution did. You could almost say small size matters big.

Nanoparticles

Because they can enter and be absorbed by the body more effectively, nanoparticles - which have at least one dimension of less than 10 namometre - are now appearing in a whole host of consumer goods. This includes hairsprays, bug repellents, moisturisers, sunscreens and deodorants. And thanks to a company in China, you can even drink nanoparticles of pulverised leaves in a bottle of nano-tea.

Ironically, the super-absorbability of nanoparticles has consumer watch groups uneasy, and several have called for studies to track the effects of such tiny particles inside the human body.

Sometimes though, the theoretical risks of nanoparticles are outweighed by the tangible benefits. That's certainly the case at the Emory-Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Center where scientists have linked gold nanoparticles to antibodies which are drawn to cancer cells. Once inside the rogue cells, the golden hitchhikers can be beamed with a laser to determine tumour size and location, acting as an early detection system

Other researchers find silver more attractive than gold because of its natural ability to resist and fight bacteria. They're embedding silver nanoparticles into everything from soaps to mobile phones. Pooghe Laundry in the United States has even created germ-resistant nanotech underwear.

And soon, movie-goers might be able to enjoy a ring-free entertainment experience - once the theatre walls are coated in a new nanoparticle paint that blocks mobile phone signals.

Nanofibres

Nanofibres are defined as fibres with diameters less than 100 nanometres, roughly one-thousand times thinner than a human hair.

These liliputian filaments have already woven themselves into our lives in the form of substances like Nano Tex, used by clothing manufacturer Eddie Bauer to keep shirts and pants stain resistant. Researchers at Ohio State University, by treating nanofibres with certain chemicals, can alter their properties to attract or repel various substances like oil. Coating a sheet of glass with such dirt-repelling fibres, which are invisible to the human eye, could mean never having to wash windows again

Nanofibre bandages that would heal wounds faster and fight infection harder than traditional wraps have already been through clinical trials and may be on the market later this year.

And, most significantly, Northwestern University science professor Samuel Stump has just developed a method of restoring the mobility of paralyzed mice. He injects them with a liquid that assembles itself into a nanofibre scaffold along which nerves can grow to repair damaged spinal cords. Which proves once and for all that sometimes, the biggest things really can come in the smallest of packages.

And, most significantly, Northwestern University science professor Samuel Stump has just developed a method of restoring the mobility of paralyzed mice. He injects them with a liquid that assembles itself into a nanofibre scaffold along which nerves can grow to repair damaged spinal cords. Which proves once and for all that sometimes, the biggest things really can come in the smallest of packages.

Buckyballs

If you've ever seen a dome-shaped house, then you have some idea of what a buckyball looks like. These tiny particles are named after the inventor of the geodesic dome home - architect and engineer R. Buckminster Fuller - and are also remarkably similar to traditionally-stitched footballs. Just like their inflated cousins, buckyballs can bounce and spin. But crush one under extreme pressure, and it snaps back into shape when the pressure abates.

What makes buckyballs so tough? The lines that make up their cage-like structures consist of carbon bonds - the strongest molecular bonds found in nature.

Because of their incredible might, researchers at Rice University have figured out a way to use them as mini-crates to store compressed hydrogen. Before this discovery, there was simply no way to compact this potential fuel-of-the-future for efficient storage in a car's gas tank.

Medically, buckyballs are being studied for their sneeze-stifling abilities because they can prevent certain cells from releasing histamine into the body. They're also great free radical sponges and may someday work to soak up these cancer-causing substances in our blood streams.

In a truly futuristic development, buckyballs have been used as the wheels of the world's smallest car which measures just 3x4 nanometres. The hope is that one day small vehicles like this could work as pick-up trucks delivering atoms around molecular-sized nanofactories.

Carbon Nanotubes

If you held a piece of paper on its edge and tried to balance a teacup on it, the results would be obvious, and messy. Roll that paper into a tube however and then put the teacup on it. Voila, you have something very light supporting something relatively heavy.

This is the idea behind carbon nanotubes which are formed by rolling up a sheet of honeycomb-like carbon molecules. The process creates the strongest substance on earth - tiny tubes that are 100 times stronger than steel, yet six times lighter.

Researchers at the University of California have exploited the electricity-producing ability of carbon nanotubes by using them in artificial muscles that can not only repair themselves but can generate enough power through their expansion and contraction to actually charge your iPod.

Nanotubes can also channel sound frequencies and, in fact, one has been used as the world's smallest radio, appropriately broadcasting "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys.

Scientists at Rice University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in America have even produced a darker colour black by stacking carbon nanotubes on end like bristles on a brush. Because light slips between the tubes and gets swallowed instead of reflected, the colour appears much darker than any black to date. This new material can store energy from light sources, including the sun, and militaries worldwide are interested in its ability to make the "cloak" part of "cloak-and-dagger" even more clandestine.

Discover More:

http://www.nanotechia.co.uk/content/aboutus/

http://www.crnano.org/

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2008/04/SpinalCordInjury.html