Nanotechnology

Explore Nanotechnology and it's Applications.

Understand the nature and scope of nano technologies:

• What they are
• How structures and systems can work on a micro scale
• Practical applications across a wide range of industries

Lesson Structure

There are 9 lessons in this course:

1. Scope and Nature of Nanotechnology
   • History of Nanotechnology
   • Applications
   • Food Security
   • Medicine
   • Energy
   • Automotive
   • Environment
   • Electronic
   • Textiles & Cosmetics
   • Future
   • Passive Structures
   • Active Structures
   • Nanosystems
   • Perfect Molecular Nanosystems
   • Space Elevators
2. Atomic and Subatomic Particles
   • Matter
   • Forms
   • Properties
   • Nanoscale
   • Elements
   • Structure of an Atom
   • Subatomic Particles
   • Atom Models
   • Molecules
   • Chemical Bonding
   • Ionic Bonds
   • Covalent Bonds
   • Hydrogen Bonds
   • Polar Bonds
   • Monomers and polymers
   • Monomers
   • Polymers
3. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
   • History
   • Photons - Quantisation of Light
   • Atoms & Electrons
   • Quantum Numbers & Orbitals
   • Nuclei
4. Types of Nanoparticles
   • Carbon-Based Nanoparticles
   • Ceramics Nanoparticles
   • Metal Nanoparticles
   • Semiconductor Nanoparticles
   • Polymeric Nanoparticles
   • Lipid-Based Nanoparticles
   • Properties of Nanoparticles
   • Electronic and Optical Properties
   • Magnetic Properties
   • Mechanical Properties
   • Thermal Properties
   • Synthesis of Nanoparticles
   • Carbon Nanotubes
   • Types
   • Structure
   • Inorganic Nanotubes
   • Nanowires
   • Types
5. Nanofabrication
   • Nanotubes and Nanowires
   • Fabrication: Top-down method
   • Etching
   • Lithography
   • Exfoliation
   • Fabrication: Bottom-up method
   • Arc Discharge
   • Chemical Vapour Deposition
   • Physical Vapour Deposition
   • Self-Assembly
   • Nucleation Growth
6. Nanocircuitry and Semiconductors
   • Types of materials
   • Insulators
   • Conductors
   • Semiconductors
   • Band Theory
   • Energy diagrams
   • Current in semiconductors
   • Covalent bonding in silicon
   • Electrons and Holes
   • Types of semiconductors
   • Doping
   • N type semiconductor
   • P type semiconductor
   • PN junction
   • Semiconductor devices
   • Diode
   • Transistor
   • Applications
7. Applications - Improving Energy Use
   • Energy Sources
   • Energy Conversion
   • Energy Distribution
   • Energy Storage
   • Energy Utilisation
8. Biomedical Applications
   • Human Toxicity
   • Applications
   • Bioimaging
   • Biosensors
   • Dentistry
   • Drug & Gene Delivery Using Nanotechnology
   • Magnetic Hyperthermia
   • Medical Devices
   • Photoablation Therapy
   • Sepsis
   • Tissue Engineering
9. Applications – Environment and Agriculture
   • Agriculture
   • Environmental Impact
   • Ecotoxicology of nanoparticles
   • Titanium dioxide
   • Reversing Desertification
   • Risk Assessment

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Discuss and define nanotechnology, including size, scale, and common applications.
• Explain the nature of atomic and subatomic particles in the context of nanotechnology.
• Explain the basics of quantum mechanics including how electrons spin.
• Explain types of nanoparticles, their properties and how they are made along with some of their applications in industry.
• Explain how the fabrication of nanomaterials works and the different material types produced.
• Discuss how nanocircuitry differs from traditional circuitry, its relationship to semiconductors and some of its applications in industry.
• Explain how nanotechnology and nanomaterials are changing and improving how we generate, store, and utilise energy.
• Explain the current and developing uses of nanotechnology in the biomedical field.
• Explain the applications of nanoparticles to the environment and agriculture.

Nanoscience is the study of structures and molecules on the very small scales of nanometres, and the technology that utilizes it in practical applications such as devices is called nanotechnology.

This futuristic branch of science has the potential to make another industrial revolution in many fields. In fact, many products that are currently on the market and in daily use, make use of nanoscale materials and processes in their production. Nano tech has applications in many industries including food security, medicine, energy, textiles, cosmetics, environmental management etc.

WHERE CAN NANOTECHNOLOGY BE APPLIED?

Here are just some of the possibilities for applying this technology to solve real world problems.

Improving Food Security
Food packaging with nanocomposite materials create an environment that is incompatible with microbial growth. 

Medicine
The future of nanomedicine is incredibly powerful, providing a mechanism to transport, deliver, and equip drugs to accurately treat diseased or malfunctioning tissue in conditions like cancer and Alzheimer’s.
More advancements include things like targeted nanoparticles that have homing molecules that circulate under the guidance of the immune system to find and release the drug into diseased tissue. This can reduce the side effects by isolating the action to the desired system and tissue in the body.
Nanobots are a possible technology that can circulate around the body, find disease, deliver the drug, and then go one step further by activating a fluorescence to highlight where the disease is and when the drug has been delivered.

Energy
Using nanoscale materials and technology is leading to a range of developments in energy technologies. eg. Supercapacitors which can store much greater amounts of energy and discharge them quickly. Using advanced materials means much greater surface areas can be created inside the capacitors allowing for greater charge capacities. Using carbon nanotubes or graphene sheets allows much greater surface areas to be utilised. Nano-wire batteries use nanowires to increase the surface area of their electrodes. These nanowires have a very large surface area so they can contain an extremely large charge compared to a traditional battery. This could lead to large battery banks used alongside renewable energy technologies which can store energy to level out demand peaks and troughs.

Nanotechnology is also being used directly in the renewable energy sector in the design of better solar cells. Researchers have developed a solar cell comprised of carbon nanotube towers built upon iron-coated silicon wafers. These cells work by trapping more of the light than traditional methods leading to lighter, more efficient solar technology. If the technology can be suitably developed, it could lead to much more effective and versatile solar technology which can be used even in areas which are traditionally not best suited to solar power generation. 

Automotive
The applications of nanotechnology in the automotive industry are seen in several key areas. Nano catalysts are used in the fuel refining process. Nanocomposite materials are being used in coatings and as additives to the lubricants and coolants to minimise wear on engine parts, improve efficiency and reduce the number of harmful pollutants produced. The costs associated with fuel system production in vehicles and the hydrocarbons escaping from these systems are reduced when nanoc lay polymer mixes used as coatings. The use of nanoceramic layers in protective glass films coating windows is limiting the impact of both ultraviolet and infrared radiation on vehicle occupants. The continued development and improvement of battery technologies is also of great benefit to the automotive industry, particularly as the adoption and use of hybrid and electric vehicles continues to expand worldwide.

Environment
Environmental applications of nanotechnology largely revolve around the reduction of greenhouse gasses and waste production. These applications consider ways of improving the efficient uses of raw materials, water, and power. There are potential applications for decontamination of polluted water sources using nano-adsorbent particles. Nano-adsorbents work by attracting specific contaminants to their easily modified surfaces. These surfaces can be specialised to enhance and increase the capacity of adsorbent nanoparticles. Nano-adsorbents are capable of adsorbing very low levels of contamination, which is critical as many contaminants only need to exist at very low levels to have significant environmental impact.  

Electronics
Nanotechnology has and will continue to lead to many advances in electronics and in computing. The composition of nanomaterials has led to faster, smaller, stronger devices. The continued growth of devices with increased memory, data processing capacities and portability has been facilitated by the developments in this area.  

Textiles
Textiles can be produced using nanotechnology to coat or attach molecules to the fibres to give them new characteristics. These characteristics can make textiles water repellent, anti-bacterial, UV-protective, flame retardant and wrinkle-resistant. Textiles amended with nanomaterials have the benefits of both worlds, blending the comfort of materials such as cotton with engineered products without compromising on quality. Antibacterial and fungicidal applications in textiles are an emerging technology utilising nanoparticles to increase the antibacterial efficacy of garments and fabrics used for a wide variety of applications.
 
Cosmetics
Nanoparticles are also used in cosmetics to enhanced properties such as colour, transparency, and solubility. Many products such as makeup, haircare, moisturisers, and sunscreen are implementing nanoparticles to improve product quality and increase consumer experience. This can be achieved in several different ways including increasing product penetration through encapsulation of key ingredients to create nanospheres. These can be used to deliver active ingredients to deeper layers of the skin to address skin concerns related to anti-aging, moisture and many more. 
The cosmetics industry has nanoparticle application in mineral sunscreens. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are “physical” sunscreens that work to protect skin from broad spectrum UV rays including UV-A and UV-B, providing excellent protection with limited associated health risks. 

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