Nanotechnology Primer

Why Nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology will provide a revolution in 21st century materials on the scale that plastics provided in the last century. Prior to plastics, the same materials (wood, iron, ceramics, etc., all limited in terms of properties) had been used for centuries. The advent of plastics, with their tunable properties, enabled vast new markets and industries.

Nanomaterials provide another paradigm shift. Customized nanomaterials - with tunable properties - are the 21st Century equivalent of plastics. Nanotechnology can drive generations of new property improvements while increasing efficiency and reducing cost. Nanotechnology will be on the scale of the light bulb, personal computer, bar code or internal combustion engine in its impact on the world.

Nanotechnology is the study and manipulation of very small particles of matter -- on the nanometer (nm) scale. The smallest synthetic nanoparticles are 2 nm; in comparison, a human hair is approximately 80,000 nanometers across and a water molecule is about 0.3nm. Nanotechnology is expected to revolutionize a variety of industries including biotechnology, consumer electronics, building materials, solar energy, fabrics, and others. The United States National Science Foundation estimates that the global market for product and services incorporating nanotechnology will reach $1 trillion by 2015.

Nanotechnology is already used in a large number of commercial applications, from car manufacture to stain resistant apparel to sunscreen to semiconductors. In 2005, US$13 billion worth of manufactured goods incorporated nanotechnologies (Lux Research Inc., 2005) and the market is growing significantly.

The key value behind nanotechnology is that nanoparticles and nanostructures, while made from basic materials, have properties and functions unattainable by traditionally-engineered materials. Unique products include:

• High efficiency solar cells
• Smart windows that provide shade at the touch of a button
• Extremely sensitive sensors that can detect a few particles in a billion for chemical, anthrax and other toxin detection
• Catalysts that dramatically improve the efficiency of chemical processing, decreasing waste and energy use
• Coatings that decrease the susceptibility of steel to corrosion, particularly in high-temperature, stressful environments