Which nano do you like

The ambition is grand and the timeline spans decades: the development of nanomachines dispersed in the human body, performing detection, diagnosis and treatment and communicating wirelessly with physicians who monitor and direct treatment.

Nanomachines may one day patrol inside the body and carry out treatment from within. We think this kind of system will be accomplished by Or a nanomachine will capture chemical information from a disease site and bring it to an implanted chip, where analysis is carried out, and this information is transmitted to doctors outside the body.

Professor Kataoka is a giant in the world of biomedicine and polymer chemistry; he is the man who developed polymer micelle nanocarriers for targeted drug and gene delivery. These tiny particles are not only highly effective at blocking UV radiation, they also feel lighter on the skin, which is why modern sunscreens are nowhere near as thick and gloopy as the sunscreens we were slathered in as kids.

When used in textiles, nanoparticles of silica can help to create fabrics that repel water and other liquids. In the same way that clothing can be made waterproof and stainproof through nanotechnology, so too can upholstered furniture.

Even better, nanotechnology is also helping to make furniture less flammable; by coating the foam used in upholstered furniture with carbon nanofibers, manufacturers can reduce flammability by up to 35 percent.

Nanotechnology can also be used to optimize adhesives. We all know bird droppings can wreak havoc on car paintwork. The company also makes coatings to protect car upholstery from stains and spillages.

Nanotechnology has found a range of applications in the world of sports equipment, with a couple of great examples coming from one of my favorite sports: tennis. Nanotechnology helps tennis balls keep their bounce for longer , and make tennis racquets stronger. Without nanotechnology, we wouldn't have many of the electronics we use in everyday life. We no longer have to send samples back to the lab and wait for the results — we can sequence DNA on site, thanks to the intelligent use of proteins in miniaturised devices.

Most nanotech research is interdisciplinary combines different expertise , even transdisciplinary operates across many fields of science. It requires that you delve into chemistry inorganic and organic , electronics, analytical chemistry, surface chemistry, protein chemistry and structure, nucleic acid chemistry both DNA and RNA , lipids fats , and many more techniques.

We use nanoscale properties of materials, creativity and inventiveness to create new tech, new materials, new structures, and perhaps in the future, new ways of being. Think of it this way: if you want to shrink devices, you make the components of these devices smaller.

Nanotechnology just uses nanometre size components to build these devices, using the quantum effects prominent at this scale. At the coal face, research is mostly intriguing ideas that require tedious optimisation; trying to manufacture tiny items from a bottom up process that is, building at the nanoscale rather than top down refining existing materials.

Portsmouth Climate Festival — Portsmouth, Portsmouth. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom. Carbon nanotube sheets are now being produced for use in next-generation air vehicles. For example, the combination of light weight and conductivity makes them ideal for applications such as electromagnetic shielding and thermal management. High-resolution image of a polymer-silicate nanocomposite. This material has improved thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties and can be used in food and beverage containers, fuel storage tanks for aircraft and automobiles, and in aerospace components.

Image courtesy of NASA. Nano-bioengineering of enzymes is aiming to enable conversion of cellulose from wood chips, corn stalks, unfertilized perennial grasses, etc.

Cellulosic nanomaterials have demonstrated potential applications in a wide array of industrial sectors, including electronics, construction, packaging, food, energy, health care, automotive, and defense. Cellulosic nanomaterials are projected to be less expensive than many other nanomaterials and, among other characteristics, tout an impressive strength-to-weight ratio.

Nanostructured ceramic coatings exhibit much greater toughness than conventional wear-resistant coatings for machine parts. Nanotechnology-enabled lubricants and engine oils also significantly reduce wear and tear, which can significantly extend the lifetimes of moving parts in everything from power tools to industrial machinery.

Nanoparticles are used increasingly in catalysis to boost chemical reactions. This reduces the quantity of catalytic materials necessary to produce desired results, saving money and reducing pollutants.