Opinion Center
Nano Tech Topics Survey
 
 

 
The biggest smallest thing in history.
Please check each of the statements to the right that you believe are true.
Nanotechnology is the study and process of working with devices and assembling structures using atom or molecule-sized building blocks.
There is growing consensus among scientists that silicon based-chips are becoming obsolete. Tiny molecular computers are becoming feasible and may do to silicon what transistors did to vacuum tubes.
Scientists have created a nanotechnology equivalent of a Trojan horse and used it to smuggle a chemotherapeutic drug inside tumor cells to increase the drug's cancer-killing activity and reduce its toxic side effects.
Within 10 years nano-robotic components will become available in complete nanorobotic assemblies.
Scientists are using biological molecules derived from virus-based proteins to build bio-nano motors that can perform linear opening and closing motions.
The top, right graphic on this page depicts a DNA motor potentially capable of moving through a human body repairing damage and eliminating disease.
About this survey:  The points below are intended to provide a basic overview of some fascinating science involving chemistry, physics and new areas. You are invited to review the points below. Try checking each button to the right as you proceed in your understanding. Please do not check the buttons to the right of concepts that are not clear enough for you to understand. OK
1.   Definitions for nanotechnology vary, but the National Initiative for Nanotechnolgy, NNI, applies the following criteria to define nanotechnology only if the materials involve all of the following:
1.)  Research and technology development at the atomic, molecular or macromolecular levels, in the length scale of approximately 1 - 100 nanometer range.
2.)  Creating and using structures, devices and systems that have novel properties and functions because of their small and/or intermediate size.
3.)  Ability to control or manipulate on the atomic scale.
Medical researchers work at the micro- and nano-scales to develop new drug delivery methods, therapeutics and pharmaceuticals. For example, DNA exists in the 2.5 nanometer range, while red blood cells are approximately 2.5 micrometers.		 OK
2.  By controlling reaction systems and ambient conditions while creating materials at the molecular level, it is becoming feasible to specify the properties and purities of manufactured materials. These processes can be scaled up for large-scale production at commercial levels. OK
3.  Nanotechnology research can devise products that can then be manufactured and relatively quickly brought to market. The list of these products is limited today, but some products have moved to the consumer level and are having significant impact. An example is a new form of carbon, known as the nanotube.  It was discovered by Sumio Iijima in 1991.
By 1995, it was understood that carbon nanotubes can be excellent sources of field-emitted electrons. By 2000, the "jumbotron lamp" was developed and became a commercial product. It is a nanotube-based light source that uses those field-emitted electrons to bombard a phosphor. Today jumbotron lamps light many athletic stadiums.
Interestingly, the time that passed from modeling of the semiconducting property of germanium in 1931 and the first commercial product -- the transistor radio -- was 23 years.
The graphic on the top left of this page depicts a carbon nano tube.		 OK
4.   Nanoscale science was enabled by advances in microscopy. The most notable are the electron, scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopes. The scanning tunneling microscope, STM, allows scientists to view and manipulate nanoscale particles, atoms and small molecules. The STM was first used in the mid-1980s and provides scientists with the ability to see details of atomic structures and to manipulate those structures.
The scanning tunneling microscope is widely used in industrial and fundamental research to obtain atomic-scale images of metal surfaces. It provides three-dimensional profiles of surfaces. This imagery is useful for characterizing surface roughness, observing surface defects, and determining the size and conformation of molecules and aggregates on the surface.
A early version of the STM is the topografiner. It was invented by Russell Young and his colleagues between 1965 and 1971 working at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). The NBS is currently known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST.		 OK
5.   Nanotechnology is in an early stage of research. There are relatively few nanoparticles used in industry today. However, nanoscaled materials are used in electronic, magnetic and optoelectronic, biomedical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, energy, catalytic and materials applications. Areas producing the greatest revenue for nanoparticles are chemical-mechanical polishing, magnetic recording tapes, sunscreens, automotive catalyst supports, biolabeling, electroconductive coatings and optical fibers.
Today most computer hard drives contain giant magnetoresistance (GMR) heads that use nano-thin layers of magnetic materials to allow for an order of magnitude increase in storage capacity. Other electronic applications include non-volatile magnetic memory, automotive sensors, landmine detectors and solid-state compasses.		 OK
6.  As the power of computer chips approaches the limits of silicon technology many researchers believe that the future will belong to "spintronics." This is a nanoscale technology where information is carried by the intrinsic spin of an electron. Using electron spin is a new concept and differs from the present technology's use of the electron's charge.
Researchers are looking for a reliable way to control and manipulate electron spin. They believe that spintronic devices could offer higher data processing speeds, lower electric consumption, and other advantages over conventional chips.
University of Notre Dame physicist Boldizsar Janko and his colleagues believe they have found such a control technique.		 OK
7.  This introduction to nano technology presents important terms and concepts. Do you feel more informed after reviewing this survey? Yes
No
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