NANOTECHNOLOGY
DEFINITION
In its original sense, 'nanotechnology' refers to the projected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using techniques and tools being developed today to make complete, high performance products. With 15,342 atoms, this parallel-shaft speed reducer gear is one of the largest nanomechanical devices ever modeled in atomic detail.
The nanoscale is the size range from approximately 1nm to 100nm. At this size range, the laws of physics operate in unfamiliar ways, and it is this that determines both the constraints and the opportunities of nanotechnologies and nanoscience.
The potential opportunities associated with nanotechnologies have led to significant investment by governmental institutions, public research centres, universities and firms throughout the world. Nanotechnologies encompass the production and application of physical, chemical, and biological systems. Horizon 3 forecasts promise widespread applications of nanotechnology as an enabling technology in various industries and converging disciplines. As highlighted by Roco et al. (2010), the development of nanotechnology has come to encompass a rich infrastructure of multidisciplinary professional communities, advanced instrumentation, user facilities, computing resources, formal and informal education assets, and advocacy for nanotechnology-related societal benefit. This infrastructure is critical to further drive R&D to help realise the opportunities embedded within nanoscience.
Nanotechnology exhibits a strong degree of convergence with many other
disciplines, such as the information and communications technologies (ICT) industry. ICT will interface neatly with biomedicine and nanoscience, with applications in areas such as drug delivery, therapeutics, imaging and diagnostics. The opportunities and products arising from technology convergences like these are difficult to predict, and have great potential to transform and disrupt everyday living. Products and technologies arising from nanoscience have the potential to not only improve livelihoods, but help address national and global challenges.
NANOTECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE
"What would happen if we could arrange the atoms one by one the way we want them?" asked Richard Feynman, a well-known American physicist, in his speech during the meeting of the American Physical Society in 29 December 1959. This idea eventually became a research field known as nanotechnology. Nanotechnology refers to controlling, building, and restructuring materials
and devices on the scale of atoms and molecules. A nanometer (nm) is one- billionth of a meter. To get the sense of the nano scales, the width of the human hair is 80,000 nm and the smallest things visible with the naked human eye are 10,000 nm across. At nano scales, the basic rules of chemistry and physics are not applicable. One example of this technology is the carbon nanotube discovered in 1991, which is only a few nanometers in diameter but can conduct electricity better than copper; 100 times stronger than steel but only one sixth of its weight.
NANOTECHNOLOGY GLOBAL MARKET OVERVIEW
Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field with significant disruptive
potential. Because of the substantial opportunities associated with the
development of nanotechnologies, governments worldwide have shown
significant interest in nanotechnology research and development. By the end of 2008, nearly USD $40 billion had been invested by governments in nanoscience, with a further USD $9.75 billion invested in 2009. The Australian Government has made investments in large scale nanotechnology infrastructure projects such as the Australian Synchrotron and the OPAL Research Reactor.
Other key governments globally investing in nanoscience include:
• China
European Union
Japan
United States
Drivers
The key driver of research into nanotechnology is the enhanced properties exhibited by nanosized particles and materials. These properties have widespread potential applications across a variety of industries. Research, particularly on nanomaterials will have a widespread impact in health, information, energy and many other fields where there is a major economic benefit to the commercialisation of new technologies. Major drivers for the uptake of nanotechnologies in the energy industry include the need for security and sustainability of energy supply, and growing consumer and government awareness of the implications of climate change. Climate change drivers for nanotechnology R&D encompass efforts to improve energy storage in green technologies, decoupling energy production from fossil fuels and decoupling from economic growth; carbon pricing and an increased global market for alternative energy technologies. Inefficiencies of energy supply through the current power grid also drive technological innovation. Losses of between six and eight per cent of power produced during electricity transmission and distribution are currently considered normal, with traditional coal plans only capturing 30-35 per cent of the energy in coal as electricity.
Energy industry concerns will continue to drive R&D of nanotechnologies for applications in various systems, including energy conversion (hydrogen fuel cells and thin film and organic photovoltaics), energy storage (batteries, hydrogen storage and supercapacitors), energy transmission (superconducting systems), and energy use (insulation, solid state lighting, reduction of vehicle weight and improved combustion of fossil fuels). Manufactured nanomaterials will enable the development of new energy generation systems based on nuclear, solar and renewable sources.
Opportunities
Nanotechnology has been described as complementary, not competitive, meaning that by itself, it is not an industry; instead nanotechnology complements and enables new and existing industries by providing new products and processes. Opportunities and new markets enabled by nanotechnologies are potentially numerous and include opportunities in the health, energy, and the environmental remediation markets.
Environment
Opportunities for nanotechnologies in the environmental remedial industries are numerous, with applications in environmental remediation, protection, maintenance and enhancement. From a global perspective, nanotechnology research, services and products applied to environmental protection is expected to present the largest opportunities for nanotechnologies, followed by environmental remediation.
Nanotechnologies applied to environmental protection will serve to facilitate and expedite ongoing remediation efforts, via the significant reduction of source pollutants. Strategies for environmental protection that include nanotechnologies encompass improved prevention and containment of toxic compound spills into soils, highly effective recycling and green technologies, along with wide-ranging and efficient improvements in energy conservation and generation. A number of environmental protection technologies are included under the clean technology.
Water
Water is a very important resource in Australia, as many important industries contributing to the Australian economy rely heavily on having access to a secure source of clean water. In many industries that are heavily reliant on water, such as agriculture and mining, processed water can be used in a variety of applications. The market for nanotechnologies used in water and wastewater applications worldwide reached USD $1.6 billion in 2007, with filtration applications dominating the market, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Managing and securing access to clean water is a major challenge, not only
in Australia but globally. Both in developed and developing countries, water shortages can have a tremendous impact, not only on health, but on industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining and power production. Over three billion people were living in areas of water stress in 2005, more than half a billion of those in severe water stress areas, presenting a major opportunity for nanotechnology to address this issue.
Further development of nanotechnologies for water remediation has been identified as a high priority area as clean water is an essential human development need.
The water industry in Australia already applies nanotechnologies for the detection and treatment of contaminated water. Nanotechnologies are expected to also play a role in water resource management, for example in industries such as mining and agriculture.
Agriculture is by far the largest user of water, and is responsible for many cases of water pollution. Precision farming, using wireless nanosensor technologies will provide users with water management systems featuring high accuracy rapid response rates, robustness and small size, as well as potentially combining sensing and feedback, for example in measuring levels of contamination and treating them. Water management in agriculture will be significantly improved in the future through the effective application of emerging nanotechnologies.
Food
Like other sectors, recent developments in nanosciences and nanotechnologies are offering numerous new opportunities for innovation to food and related sectors globally. The potential applications of nanotechnology in the food industry include the advent of a range innovative tastes and textures, a potential reduction in the dietary intake of fat, salt and other food additives, improved absorption of nutrients and supplements, preservation of quality and freshness, better traceability and security of food products, and disease treatment delivery systems.
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