Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology refers to the technology which deals at the size of 

nano meters ( about 1-100 nm). Nanotechnology is the study of all

aspects of science and technology in a very precised size, i.e it deals with atoms and molecules of the particles. In Nepal, we mostly get used to the technology at the micro level such as micro controllers, microprocessors and so on. Nanotechnology encompasses the understanding of the fundamental physics, chemistry, biology and technology of nano metric scaled objects.

 Evolution of Nanotechnology:

Every now and then we hear about the famous talk "There's plenty of room at the bottom", entitled by a famous physicist Richard Feynman. This phrase was talked way before the term "Nanotechnology" was used. The development on the field of nanotechnology did not start until 1981, when a tunneling microscope was invented which could even distinguish a single atom.

Interestingly, if a marble is considered to be the size of a nano meter, then one meter would be the size of the whole earth.

So, there's an unprecedented multidisciplinary convergence of scientists dedicated to the study of a world so small, we can't see it, not even with a light microscope.

Importance of Nanotechnology:

Let me ask you a question:

What's so small that you can't see it, but it's smart enough to run your iPad or stop cancer?

- If your answer is a microscopic person who is a doctor with a part time job of being an electronics engineer, then you're not absolutely wrong. But, the answer is "nanotechnology".

In most of the developed countries, Nanotechnology has found a place in consumer products, medical treatment, the food industry and so much more. In fact, it's becoming increasingly harder to keep track of where nanotech isn't. And the truth is that the technology's potential is nowhere near being reached, not even in the highly developed countries. Many of the big breakthroughs are still being worked out in laboratories. And only some of the simplest forms of nanotechnology have really come to the marketplace.

Some of the best examples that nanotechnology exists today are:

• Molecule Printers
• Stretchable Gold
• Artificial Muscles
• Stain-Repellant Fabric Coating
• Plastic that bleeds and heals itself
• Electricity Generating Viruses