Nanotech article Flashcards
Nanomaterials measure between 1 and
100 nanometers
Nanos is the Greek word for a
Small person
A nanometer is 1…of a meter
Billionth
One of the main appeals of nano materials is that they have
Different properties than everyday materials
Nano materials do not melt at the same temperature as
Everyday materials and do not conduct electricity like everyday materials
The different properties in nano materials is due to an increase in their
Surface area and their unusual shapes
Their surface area and unusual shapes can affect how
Durable they are, how they conduct electricity and heat, and how they absorb light
A nanotube is essentially a sheet of pure
Carbon graphite rolled into a cylinder
In an individual graphite layer called graphene carbon atoms form a series of
Six sided hexagons next to one another
When a graphene sheet is rolled up to form a tube the tubes wall is made of
Carbon hexagon
Hexagons can be parallel to the
Axis of the tube or form a helix that winds along the tube
A nanotubes diameter and how the hexagons are arranged on the all affect the way nanotubes conduct
Electricity
A nanotubes diameter and how the hexagons are arranged on the wall affect the way nanotubes conduct
Electricity
Nanotubes diameter and hexagon arrangement make them useful for making electronic components
Much smaller than those currently used
The nanotubes are lighter and stronger than steel and this they could make
Good body armor
Carbon nanotubes in the shape of long yarn-like fibers could outperform even the strongest
Bullet-proof materials on the market
Nano wires are solid rods of silicon or other
Materials that are only a few nano materials wide
A nanowires length is much longer than it’s worth and it behaves like a
Wire in which electrons can move this conducting an electric current
Nanowires have shown potential application in
Solar cells
Solar cells harvest the Suns energy and turn it into
Electricity more efficiently than present solar cells
Nanowires have been used to build sensors that can detect
Disease-triggering molecules in the body or harmful chemicals in the air
A “buckyball” (fullerene) is a hollow soccer ball shaped molecule made of
69 Carbon atoms, each Carbon atom bonded to three adjacent Carbon atoms
Other existing buckyballs contain either
70/80 Carbon atoms
Several academic laboratories and companies are developing modified buckyballs for
Therapeutic uses
Luna innovations is testing buckyball based therapeutics to block
Inflammation, swelling, and pain associated with medical conditions
This technology is based upon the buckyballs’ unique ability to trap harmful
Free radicals
Free radicals increase
Inflammation and can damage or kill cells
Free radicals are molecules that have an uneven number of
Electrons
Some free radicals form as part of an immune response targeting
Viruses and bacteria
Environmental factors such as pollution radiation cigarette smoke and herbicides may create
Free radicals too
The unpaired electron makes free radicals highly
Reactive
Nanotechnology is a research area in hitch scientists use atoms and molecules to build
Materials that can be used in many areas such as health care clean energy sources and shrinking electronics
To become stable, free radicals seek to pair that lone electron by taking an
Electron from anther molecule
When this molecule loses its electron it becomes a
Free radical itself
This chain reaction of free radicals ultimately damages the cell when the body cannot cope with
Too many free radicals
Buckyballs can neutralize a dangerous free radical when it’s unpaired electron is transferred to
The buckyball forming a bond
Buckyballs block allergic
Response
Tejal desais group has designed a microchip with nanometer sized channels that will be able to steadily release a
Drug over time
By using pores as small as 7 nanometers in diameter the scientists over bed constant
Release for tiny molecules of glucose
The steady release of the glucose molecules over time is a result of the tiny size of the
Nanochannels, which limits how fast the molecule can be released
A good oral drug delivery vehicle has to survive extreme
Acidity and digestive enzymes as well a mechanical agitation in the stomach
Good oral delivery must also transfer the drug across a
Mucous layer which is meant to keep out foreign invaders
Deals team has created a flat delivery decide which is able to dock on the intestinal wall and
Release drug through it allowing most of the drug to go to the targeted area
Buckyballs have high potential for
Drug delivery
Using buckyballs for drug delivery involves attaching drug molecules to the Carbon atoms on the
Surface of the buckyball
Other molecules are added to the buckyballs to make them
Water soluble
Making the buckyballs water soluble allows the medicines added buckyball to be
Absorbed by the bloodstream when swallowed or injected
The buckyball can then release the drug upon reaching a
Chemical trigger
A challenge in unit nanotechnology is creating better
Manufacturing methods
Creating large quantities of nanoscale materials is time-
Consuming and expensive
New technologies will have to be developed to safely and reliably
Snap atoms together
Standards and measurements will need to be created to ensure the
Quality of the resulting nano materials
Nanotechnology still holds many
Unknowns
Several programs are looking at the possible societal and
Ethical impacts of nanotechnology
Other programs are Testing the safety of exposing our environment and bodies to
Nanomaterials
The u.s. House of reps passed s bill that requires federal agencies participating in the national nanotechnology initiative to develop a
Plan for environmental and safety research
The national nanotechnology initiative is a program established in 2001 to coordinate nanotechnology
Research among various federal agencies
To build Nanomaterials researched can modify a
Starting material
With the top down approach a material is altered by
Mechanical or chemical means
An electron beam or light are usually used to create
Nanomaterials
The techniques are called electron beam
Lithography and photolithography
In electron beam lithography a focused beam of electrons forms the circuit patterns needed for
Depositing material on or removing material from a surface
Photolithography used light for the same purpose as
Electron beam lithography
Photolithography is limited in the size of the patterns it creates by the
Wavelength of visible light
Narrower features can be made by using ultraviolet light with
Shorter wavelength
Electron beam lithography produced patterns in the order of
20 nanometers but takes longer and is expensive
The bottom up approach starts with individual molecules or atoms and brings them together to form a
Product in which every atom is in a designated location
Often molecules are designed and created so that they can spontaneously self assemble when a chemical or
Physical trigger is applied
Weak interactions play an important role in
Bottom up manufacturing
These bonds can be made and broken much more easily than the
Covalent bonds that bind most atoms in molecules
Bottom up process hold great promise for the future because they lead to a wider variety of
Structures
The ultimate goal of building products with atomic precision will require a
Bottom up approach
