Applications of Nanotechnology are contributing in multiple ways to nano technology’s promise of benefitting society:
Electronics and IT Applications
Nanotechnology has played a significant part in the advancement of electronics and computers, resulting in quicker portable systems with the ability to store massive amounts of data.
Transistors have gotten smaller in size.
MRAM or Magnetic Random Access Memory is able to get started or ‘boot’ easily.
Hazardous materials used in fuse electronics are now replaced with Nanoparticle copper suspensions.
Applications for Energy
The power of nanotechnology has tremendously boosted alternative energy approaches to fulfil the world's expanding energy demands. Scientists are investigating concepts and methods for reducing energy use and the toxicity burden on the environment.
Through enhanced catalysis, nanotechnology has increased the efficiency of fuel synthesis from raw petroleum materials.
Researchers are investigating carbon nanotube scrubbers to extract carbon dioxide from power plant emissions.
Nanotechnology is being used to build new types of batteries for improved charging and efficiency.
To improve the number of electricity windmills can generate, epoxy containing carbon nanotubes is currently being used to make windmill blades.
Environmental Remediation
Nanotechnology is being used to help clean up the environment and detect contaminants.
Nanotechnology is being employed to aid with environmental cleanup and the detection of toxins.
Impurities in water are detected and treated using nanotechnology.
Engineers have created a thin film membrane containing nano-pores for energy-efficient desalination.
Nanoparticles are also utilised to remediate industrial water contaminants that end up in groundwater.
Researchers have created a nano cloth towel that can absorb 20 times its weight in oil for cleaning applications.
Agriculture
Ensuring food security in developing countries is highly challenging due to low productivity of the agriculture sector, degradation of natural resources, high post farming losses, less or no value addition, and high population growth. Researchers are working hard to use innovative technologies in order to increase supply and close the food demand gap. Nanotechnology is one of the promising technologies that could boost agricultural productivity through the use of nano fertilisers, effective herbicides and pesticides, soil feature regulation, wastewater management, and disease detection. It is also advantageous for industrial food processing, as it improves food production with good market value, increases nutritive value properties, improves safety, and provides superior antimicrobial protection. Nanotechnology can also help to reduce post-farming losses by boosting shelf life with nanoparticles. However, additional research is needed to address the technology's safety and health dangers.
Nano-biotechnology
Nano-biotechnology is concerned with the incorporation of nano-molecules into biological systems or the miniaturisation of biotechnology solutions to nanometer scale in order to attain better reach and efficacy. This could lead to more effective and less expensive assays and medicines. Biomolecules are frequently placed on the outside of nanoparticles in order to target or utilise certain molecules for a specific purpose. These hybrid nano-structures are utilised to construct biosensors or to image specific bodily areas. Nano-structures can also be engineered to incorporate them into body systems by altering their solubility in water, compatibility with biologic material, or recognition of biological systems. Because of its strand-like structure, DNA, for example, is notably difficult to introduce into a cell nucleus. However, when placed on a spherical nanoparticle, the spherical DNA can easily pass through the cell and nuclear membrane. Antibodies and proteins can also be utilised to coat nano-molecules like carbon tubes or gold nanoparticles for simple and quick bioassays.
Risks and Way Ahead
As in every human domain, evidence is strong that, in addition to the good advances brought about by nanotechnologies, they may also have detrimental impacts on human health and environmental security. Apart from the benefits, there is a risk that nanotechnology will be harmful to the environment because nanoparticles have a tendency to accumulate in the atmosphere and even the food chain.
The intrinsic hazardous features of the substances included in the nanoparticle, as well as particle size, shape, surface charge, and physicochemical properties, are also crucial, as these greatly influence their uptake by cells and the potential for future biological effects. In summary, nanoparticles are more harmful than bulk material if they are insoluble, penetrate biological membranes, stay in the body, or are lengthy and fibre like (when inhaled). The development of nano-materials should ideally include a safety-by-design strategy, as there is a marketing advantage for nano-enabled products with a lower potential impact on health and the environment. As a result, researchers must study this issue in order to develop preventive measures for this negative impact before fully applying nanotechnology in products.
Although the mechanisms of nano-toxicity are not fully understood, harmful effects of nanoparticles have been identified at the pulmonary, reproductive, cardiac, digestive, cutaneous, and immunological levels. Nano-materials can also produce persistent air, water, and soil pollution that is too small to detect easily, making nano-pollution yet another man-made undesired environmental impact with undetermined long-term implications. Before large-scale nanotechnology can be fully established, larger research is required to evaluate human reactions and the destiny of nanoparticles in the environment.