CSTS Science, Technology and Society

Chapter 13

The Nano World

A. Desired Learning Outcomes

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

 Define Nanotechnology
 Characterize Nano scale
 Describe the various uses of Nano technology
 Discuss concerns on the use of Nano Technology
 Explain the status of the use of Nano technology in the Philippines

B. Introduction

New technological tools have been developed by scientific researchers that greatly
improved different life aspects. One of which is the use of nanoscale as important interdisciplinary
area generated by the advancement of science and technology. This will bring widespread
implications in various areas of society including healthcare, environment, energy, food, water and
agriculture.

Nanotechnology is referred to the science, engineering and technology at the nanoscale,

about 1 to 100 nanometers (NNI, 2017). Nanoscience and nanotechnology employ the study and
application of exceptionally small things in other areas of science: engineering, physics, biology
and chemistry.

It all started in December 29, 2959 when Physicist Richard Feynman discussed a method
in which scientist can direct and control individual atoms and molecules (“There’s a plenty of
room at the bottom” during the American Physical Society meeting at the California institute of
Technology.

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The term “nanotechnology” was coined by Professor Norio Taniguchi a decade after the dawn
of use of ultraprecision machining (NNI, 2017).

C. Input

How Small is a Nanoscale?

A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or 10-9 of a meter. Manipulation of nanomaterials

needs an adept understanding of their types and dimensions. The various types of nanomaterials
are classified according to their individual shapes and sizes. They may be particles, tubes, wires,
films, flakes, or shells that have one or more nanometer-sized dimensions. One should be able to
view and manipulate them so that we can take advantage of their exceptional characteristics.

How to View Nanomaterials

Scientists use special types of microscopes to view minute nanomaterials. During the
early 1930s, scientists used electron microscopes and field microscopes to look at the nanoscale.
The scanning tunneling microscope and atomic force microscope are just among the modern and
remarkable advancements in microscopy.

1. Electron microscope
 German engineers Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll built the first electron microscope
during the 1930s.
 This type of microscope utilizes a particle beam of electrons to light up a specimen
and develop a well-magnified image.
 Electron microscopes produce higher and better resolution than older light
microscopes because they can magnify objects up to a million times while
conventional light microscopes can magnify objects up to 1,500 times only.
 There are two general types of electron microscope; Scanning electron
microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM).

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2. Atomic force microscope (AFM)

 It was developed by Gerd Binig, Calvin Quate, and Christoph Gerber in 1986.
It makes use of a mechanical probe that gathers information from the surface of a
material.

3. Scanning tunneling microscope

 This special type of microscope enables scientists to view and manipulate
nanoscale particles, atoms, and small molecules. In 1986, still with Gerd Binig
and Heinrich Rohrer won the Nobel Prize in Physics because of this invention.

Nanomanufacturing

It refers to scaled-up, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing of nanoscale materials,

structures, devices, and systems. It also involves research, improvement, and incorporation of
processes for the construction of materials. Therefore, nanomanufacturing leads to the
development of new products and improved materials. There are two fundamental approaches to
nanomanufacturing, either bottom-up or top-down (NNI, 2017):

1. Bottom-up fabrication

It manufactures products by building them up from atomic- and molecular-scale

components. However, this method can be time-consuming. Scientists and engineers are
still in search for effective ways of putting up together molecular components that self-
assemble and from the bottom-up to organized structures.

2. Top-down fabrication

Its trims' down large pieces of materials into nanoscale. This process needs larger
amounts of materials and discards excess raw materials.

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New approaches to the assembly of nanomaterials

(Based from the application of principles in top-down and bottom-up fabrication)

 Dip pen lithography - It is a method in which the tip of an atomic force microscope is
"dipped" into a chemical fluid and then utilized to "write" on a surface, like an old-
fashioned ink pen onto paper.
 Self-assembly - It depicts an approach wherein a set of components join to mold an
organized structure in the absence of an outside direction.
 Chemical vapor deposition - It is a procedure wherein chemicals act in response to form
very pure, high-performance films.
 Nanoimprint lithography - It is a method of generating nanoscale attributes by
“stamping" or "printing" them onto a surface.
 Molecular beam epitaxy - It is one manner for depositing extremely controlled thin films.
 Roll-to-roll processing - It is a high-volume practice for constructing nanoscale devices
on a roll of ultrathin plastic or metal.
 Atomic layer epitaxy - It is a means for laying down one-atom-thick layers on a surface.

With the use of these techniques, nanomaterials are made more durable, stronger, lighter,
water-repellent, ultraviolet- or infrared resistant, scratch-resistant, electrically conductive,
antireflective, antifog, antimicrobial, self-cleaning, among others. The abovementioned
characteristics lead to the manufacture of the present variety of nanotechnology-enabled products
such as tennis rackets and baseball bats to catalysts for purifying crude oil and ultrasensitive
recognition and classification of biological and chemical toxins.

In the future, computers might become better, more efficient, with larger storage of
memory, faster, and energy saving will be developed. Soon, the entire memory of a computer will
be saved in a single tiny chip. Moreover, nanotechnology has the potential to construct high-
efficiency, low-cost batteries and solar cells.

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Distinct Features of Nanoscale

Nanotechnology involves operating at a very small dimension and it allows scientists to

make use of the exceptional optical, chemical, physical, mechanical, and biological qualities of
materials of that small scale (NNI, 2017). The following are distinct features of nanoscale:

1. Scale at which much biology occurs.

Various activities of the cells take place at the nanoscale. The deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) serves as the genetic material of the cell and is only about 2 nanometers in diameter.
Furthermore, the hemoglobin that transports oxygen to the tissues throughout the body is 5.5
nanometers in diameter.

A good number of modern researches focus on advancing procedures, therapies, tools, and
treatments that are more accurate and custom-made than traditional methods and cause no adverse
effects on the body.

An example of this is the bio-barcode assay, which is a fairly inexpensive approach for
identification of specific disease markers in the blood despite their small number in a particular
specimen.

2. Scale at which quantum effects dominate properties of materials.

Particles with dimensions of nanometers have properties that are significantly discrete from
particles of bigger dimensions. Quantum effects direct the behavior and properties of particles in
this size scale. The properties of materials are highly dependent on their size. Among the essential
properties of nanoscale that change as a function of size include chemical reactivity, fluorescence,
magnetic permeability, melting point, and electrical conductivity.

One example is the nanoscale gold, which is not only yellow-colored element we are used
to seeing but it can also appear red or purple. Gold's electrons' display restricted motion in the
nanoscale. Practically, nanoscale gold particles selectively build up in tumors, where they permit

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both precise imaging and targeted laser destruction of the tumor while avoiding damage on healthy
cells.

3. Nanoscale materials have far larger surface areas than similar masses of larger-scale
materials.

As we increase the surface area per mass of a particular material, a greater amount of the
material comes in contact with another material and can affect its reactivity.

If 1 cubic centimeter is filled with micrometer-sized cubes—a trillion (1012) of them, each
with a surface area of 6 square micrometers—the total surface area amounts to 6 square meters, or
about the area of the main bathroom in an average house. When that single cubic centimeter of
volume is filled with I-nanometer-sized cubes—1021 of them, each with an area of 6 square
nanometers—their total surface area comes to 6,000 square meters.

Government Funding for Nanotechnology in Different Countries

(Dayrit, 2005)

1. U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative

 The best-known and most-funded program is the National Nanotechnology

Initiative of the United States. The NNI was established in 2001 to
coordinate U.S. federal nanotechnology R&D.

2. European Commission

 It officially launched the European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory

Council (ENIAC) in February 2008.

3. Japan (Nanotechnology Research Institute, under the National Institute for Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology,AIST)

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4. Taiwan (Taiwan National Science and Technology Program for Nanoscience and
Nanotechnology)

5. India (Nanotechnology Research and Education Foundation)

6. China (National Center for Nanoscience and Technology)

7. Israel (Israel National Nanotechnology Initiative)

8. Australia (Australian Office of Nanotechnology)

9. Canada (National Institute for Nanotechnology or NINT)

10. South Korea (Korea National Nanotechnology Initiative)

11. Thailand (National Nanotechnology Center or NANOTEC)

12. Malaysia (National [Malaysia] Nanotechnology Initiatives or NNI)

Possible Applications of Nanotechnology in the Philippines (Dayrit,2005)

1. ICT and semiconductors

2. Health and medicine
3. Energy
4. Food and agriculture
5. Environment

Nanotech Roadmap for the Philippines (funded by PCAS-TRD-DOST)

1. ICT and semiconductors

2. Health and biomedical
3. Energy
4. Environment
5. Agriculture and food
6. Health and environmental risk
7. Nano-metrology

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8. Education and public awareness

Benefits and Concerns of Using Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology has various applications in different sectors of the society and

environment. Salamanca-Buentello et al. (2005) proposed an initiative called "Addressing Global
Challenges Using Nanotechnology" to accelerate the use of nanotechnology to address critical
sustainable development challenges. They suggested a model that could help figure out the
possible contributions of the community in overcoming global challenges that pose risk on health
and other aspects of peoples' lives. However, there are concerns that need to be addressed before
using and promoting materials derived from nanotechnology (Dayrit, 2005).

 Nanotechnology is not a single technology; it may become pervasive.

 Nanotechnology seeks to develop new materials with specific properties.
 Nanotechnology may introduce new efficiencies and paradigms which may make
some natural resources and current practices uncompetitive or obsolete.
 It may be complicated to detect its presence unless one has the specialist tools of
nanotechnology.

Social and Ethical Considerations in Conducting Research on Nanotechnology

1. Who will benefit from it? On the other hand, who won't?
2. For whom and what are your objectives for developing your product?
3. How will it affect social, economic, and political relationships?
4. What problem is your "product" trying to solve?
5. Who will have access to it? Who will be excluded?
6. Are there dangers involved with its development (e.g., safety, health, pollution)? How
can you minimize them?
7. Who will own it? How can you assure access to it?

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D. Reference(s)

• Janice Patria Javier, et al (2018), Science, Technology and Society Rex Book Store.

Prepared by:

ENGR. MAY B. CHAN

Asst. Prof. I
Process

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