HOW NANOTECHNOLOGY IMPROVES DAY-TODAY:

Continuing our Fantastic Voyage

Having considered some of the incredible ways that medical science is applying the knowledge of sub-molecular changes to deliver health benefits, this second part in the series links these with materials science and our everyday environments. .

Nanotechnology Australia : How Nanotechnology is begining to improve our everyday lives

Citing the development work of Greek scientist Dr Ioannis Arabatzis, it takes a look at some of the products produced by his company, Nanophos SA. Winner of the Gates’ foundations’ international prize for commercializing scientific research, his efforts to deliver practical benefits to everyday situations through technical excellence and inventiveness are seen as exemplary.

(E)merging building science

Despite the arguments over when and if nanotechnology and in particular nanobots will become available, as the previous article illustrates this is happening. Perhaps this is all the more so in nonmedical areas, which are subject to all sorts of test before they can be applied. This is particularly so in the area of Building Science, which is able to apply the same technology and techniques, but with far fewer restrictions and therefore faster market deliverability.

Based in Greece, ‘Nanophos SA’ is one company already delivering the benefits of Nanotechnology to address everyday problems in and around the home and other buildings to improve our lives.

Founded by scientist Dr Ioannis Arabatzis, Nanophos SA has developed a number of compounds for treating all kinds of products. Personally recognised by Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, for the innovative nature of their work, NanoPhos and Dr Arabatzis are undoubtedly delivering cutting edge nanotech inventions to improve and add value to a wide range of everyday products.

Protecting and waterproofing surfaces from within

Bricks, concrete, marble and timber are just a few of the items surrounding us in everyday life that are susceptible to surface damage though staining, sunlight, mould and fungus. Unlike other compounds, for instance 2 component or silicon based treatments that create a ‘plastic film’ on the surface.

Instead of sealing off these pores, like the other treatments, they act below the surface to change the cellular structure of the material, enabling it to use chemical forces to repel water and other corroding factors.

Whereas surface barrier films are damaged or worn away by cleaning, abrasion and mechanical wear and tear, this below surface treatment gives truly long lasting protection to any material to which it is applied. Since non-particles do not form polymer chains, they also last longer, with 95% of their original functionality or activity being recorded after eight years.

This enhanced, long lasting protection is due to the unique method developed by SurfaPore to chemically anchor its nanoparticles onto the basic building material.

Avoiding colour change and UV damage

By eliminating the need to create a film or membrane to protect surfaces, formulations don’t change the colour or appearance of the surfaces to which they are applied. They are also more resistant to the ‘hard’ UV part of solar radiation and so are less susceptible to the yellowing and fade effects of sunlight.

‘Breathing’ surfaces

One very important advantage of that surfaces modified with an appropriate SurfaPore® nanocompound can still ‘breathe’ after application. What this means is that water vapour can still travel from and to the outside through the natural pores of the material because they are not trapped by a protective film or membrane.

While water itself is blocked from being transferred from the external environment to the inside of the material, moisture that has got into the substrate before application can still freely vaporise and evaporate to the environment, without accumulating behind the building’s surface.

NANOTECHNOLOGY

ALL ABOUT NANOTECHNOLOGY

A lot of people have been hearing about nanotechnology lately but not that many people really understand exactly what nanotechnology is and what it can do for our future. This article will briefly address several key things about nanotechnology. For a more complete tutorial, read through our other posts and you will see how nanotechnology will play a part in your near future.

What Is Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is a broad term that describes the use of nanites, also known as nanobots, which are extremely small robotic computers that can even fit inside of DNA. Because nanites are so small, thousands of them can easily fit inside of a human body in order to change molecular function and even carry medicine in extremely small amounts. Nanites are completely controlled by the programmer and can easily be shutoff and flushed out of the body. Of course, the body isn’t all that nanotechnology is used for.

What Is Nanotechnology Used For

Nanotechnology is used widely for many different things including medicine, biology, clothing, surveillance, warfare, research, and surgery, just to name a few. Below are several ways that nanotechnology will soon be used to enhance every corner of our lives and completely revolutionize the way we see the world.

Medicine

Nanotechnology will be used in medicine to deliver vaccines, do surgery, and analyze the body. Instead of cutting a person open to see what’s wrong with them or why someone died, we will be able to implement nanites to travel through the body and determine any errors. Nanites will also be used to clean up toxic chemicals and even repair the body. The breakthroughs in medicine that will come as a result of nanotechnology will be simply astounding.

Biology

Nanotechnology will change our biology in ways that we can’t even comprehend. It will enhance our senses, repair damaged tissue, and even create new tissue. Sometime in the near future, the average man be expect to lift a thousand pounds with ease. We will be able to see farther, hear better, and pick up smells that we are completely oblivious to today. Have you ever seen a dog all of a sudden get up and run to the end of the yard and bark as loud as possible for no reason and then minutes later see a semi truck drive by? That’s because dogs have amazing senses that alert them to their surroundings while we don’t even know what’s going on. With nanotechnology, our senses will be so powerful that we will feel like supermen.

Clothing

Nanotechnology will revolutionize the clothing industry. Clothes will someday be completely waterproof, stain proof, fireproof, and every other kind of proof that you can think of. Clothes will not wrip; they will not get damaged, they will never lose their color. A shirt that you buy today would look and feel exactly the same for decades and, perhaps, even longer. Whether this will cripple the clothing industry or make it better, that’s up for personal opinion.

Dangers of Nanotechnology

There’s several crucial dangers in the field of nanotechnology that concern many people worldwide. This section of the article will help a dress a few of these dangers and how we are trying to prepare ourselves against them. Scientists are working hard to make sure that these dangers don’t become a reality and politicians are working alongside them to understand how nanotechnology will effect our society.

Grey Goo

Many are afraid that nanites will use their biological material in order to create more nanites. While there are many safeguards put in place to keep this from happening, an artificial intelligence program within the nanites might one day come into reality and that could be potentially dangerous for the entire human population. With hackers constantly creating new self-replicating computer viruses as a hobby, the world may see some pretty devastating outcomes.

Warfare

Nanotechnology will be used in warfare among different countries, the same as any new technology. The problem with nanotechnology in war, however, is that nanofactories are too small to keep track of which means that any country could possibly harness this technology and no one would be able to know who has nanotechnology and who doesn’t. While nuclear warfare is easily overuled thanks to the idea of mutual destruction, nanotechnology could be used to specifically target certain people without harming the land or people around that target.

Hackers

As I pointed out earlier, hackers love to play with new technology. Nanotechnology will no doubt be involved with hackers’ playtime which could make a lot of crazy things happen. For starters, hackers could reprogram nanites to strip away the metal in vaults. They could also program nanites to kill people or record passwords. There’s no telling what hackers will be able to do once they get their hands on nanotechnology so we must be prepared for any and all possibilities. It’s a scary world we’re living in, folks, scary, scary, scary.

DEFINITION

Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. This covers both current work and concepts that are more advanced.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.