What is Nanotechnology?
“Nanotechnology- The Next Revolution”
Imagine a world where a human will live for 3000 years, where there will be no treat of diseases like AIDS and cancer and where humans make investments in stock exchange markets of mars and other far planets of some other galaxies. To shape up this science fiction into reality we need innovative technologies like nanotechnology. A popular saying is that “to understand very large we must understand very small”. This is what exactly nanotechnology is doing. In simpler words nanotechnology is defined as processing and rearranging of atoms and molecules to develop materials having nano-specifications (nm). The word NANO itself is developed from “dwarf” which is a Greek word and it means billionth part of something. So one nanometer (nm) can be simply said as one billionth part of a meter. The whole science of nanotechnology deals with in range of 1-100 nm.
Principal of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology and its importance lies in its principal statement that everything in this whole world is made of atoms and their properties, structure etc are all determined by specific arrangement of atoms in those materials. Now if this we rearrange the atoms of a material it will not just change its structural appearance it will also produce a considerable change in its properties. For example a normal gold (Au) molecule is not able to have any reaction with carbon-mono-oxide (CO), but rearranged and nano specified Au molecule is found to be reactive with CO. It can react with CO and convert it into CO2, when placed over oxide surface. This fact of changing nature is crucially important for us, because we can create many nanoparticles with great applications in fields of robotics, diagnosis, space programs and more.
Atomic force microscope
To rearrange atoms we need to see them clearly, but the atom size explains the size of problem itself. So here is a need of some equipment which can be useful in solving this problem. Due to this reason atomic force microscope (AFM) is considered as the most important equipment in nanotechnology. AFM was launched in 1986 and it basically used for measuring nano forces between atoms and hence plotting atoms. AFM consist of an ultra-thin tip having radius of 20nm. Tip is attached with a cantilever arrangement. As tip moves on the surface of sample it gets deflected due to attractive and repulsive forces between atoms of the sample and atom present at the edge of tip. This deflection leads to movement in cantilever; this cantilever deflection then easily measured using a sensitive laser beam. Computer records the path of tip and develop a 3-D image. So AFM tip can be said a pen to draw using molecule as ink.
Buckyball and carbon nanotubes
Curl, kroto and smalley and in 1985 discovered a pure new form of carbon, which basically exist on red giant stars. So to create it on earth they produced artificial star like environment in lab by carbon bombardment with high power laser. A new carbon molecule developed up, which was consisting of 60 atoms of carbon joined as pentagons and hexagons. They named it buckyball. This new carbon form was found to be even 1000 times stronger then steel. This material acted as a raw material for development of one of the most proud achievement of nanotechnology- carbon nanotubes.
Ijima in 1991 stretched this buckyball and created a cylindrical carbon sheet called as carbon nanotube. This tubes were found to be very efficient conductors of electricity and extremely stable against chemical and mechanical actions. Today these tubes are showing great advantages in creating sensing probes, nano-microprocessors and new semiconductors. They are replacing optical fibers and silicon wires used in microprocessors and telecommunications. Using carbon nanotubes the size of a normal microprocessor can be reduced to nano specifications and even more then 10000000 transistors can be placed over a single coin of US quarter dollar.
Nanotechnology + Biotechnology
Applications of nanotechnology find a great platform in biotechnology, and here it becomes Nanobiotechnology. The cell of a living system can be seen as the masterpiece of nanotechnology in which various processes like replication, transcription, translation, diffusion, osmosis etc are taking place at nanoscales. A human body has 100 million million cells. Each cell having dia of 30-35 micrometers within each of then 10 micrometers of nucleus is present. And width of DNA is just 2nm.
Nanomemories and nano machines
Nature has provided cells a large no of nanomachines like ribosomes, whose main function is to transcript DNA into RNA and then RNA translation into proteins. The ribosomes remember the whole genetic code and add proper amino acids in polypeptide chain according to the set of codons coming to then through RNA. This feature of ribosome can be used to create nanomemories for nano-probes and nano-robots. So Information can be stored in nano devices regarding some disease for example regarding level of glucose in human body and then a nano tank with insulin can also be well placed in these smart nano devices. Now these smart robots can navigate through the body and where ever they found increased level of glucose they inject insulin at that place, which will retard cases of diabetes.
For navigation in the body use of ATPase motor is under research. There are some bacteria that are mobile in nature. Its observed that they move in medium by using a tiny biochemical motor that produces motion in flagella of bacteria and allows it to move or swim in a liquid. These ATPase motors, which work on the energy provided by ATP (energy rich bimolecule), then can be used as navigating propellers of nano-probes or nano-robots in the human body. These kind of nano-robots are broadly classifies as nano-biosensors.
Tumor and nanotechnology
Other popular biosensor which is in use is a molecule packed with “raf-1” gene. Raf-1 is a gene which specifically identifies the newly formed blood vessels and produces proteins to destroy them. The beauty of the gene is that it is active only against newly formed blood vessels. A nano-biosensor packed with raf-1 gene can easily be used to navigate in body. When some tumor starts inducing in a body containing this nano-biosensor, the sensor will then identify the new blood vessels developed by tumor cell for their growth and using Raf-1 gene products it will cut the blood supply of the tumor cells and retard the induction in body.
Nano-medicines
Drugs cannot reach many parts inside the human body. So, nano-devices have been constructed, making drug delivery less painful and more effective. Due to highly specific targeting possible through nanotechnology a cardiac drug can be easily and in surely taken without any risk of its side-effects on the liver or kidney. Moreover, with nano-medicines treatment of cancer without any side-effects is also possible. Actually, in cells which are hitted by cancer, a mechanism of self-regulation goes silent. In such cells mechanism of apoptosis goes silent. So we use a nanopulse which leads changes in cells and causes the cell to commit a suicide by switching on the required enzymes.
Bonanza for terrorists
Einstein once said “two things are infinite- universe and human stupidity and I m not sure about the first one”. This statement even found its meaning in the use of this brilliant science, because Terrorists may misuse the nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology for creation of more dangerous biological and electronic weapons.
They can develop viruses of plague, anthrax, polio etc and can easily spread them in human population by using nanoparticles. Moreover self replicating and artificially intelligent nano-robots are one of the major dramatic treat for humans. Due to nanosizes of robots they can be extremely dangerous; their inhaling by the workers during synthesis can lead various harmful effects. The new thriller of Michael Crichton is prey. This book is based on nanotechnology and AI, The thriller describes how super smart and super smart robots are destroying humans and planet earth.
Curse or blessing?
Everything is like a coin having two faces, one good one and other one is evil. Its on us which face we want to see and apply. It’s on us to take nanobiotechnology as a blessing or as a curse, in both ways it have ability to change the world. But as a blessing its surely going to change it in a better way.
SO IF YOU WANT TO BECOME BETTER THEN THE BEST THEN LET THE NANOTECHNOLOGY BE YOUR GUEST….
