What are the Risks of Nanoscience?

Nanotechnology is the science and technology of making materials from single atoms and molecules. Nano science and technology is a science and technology based on many modern advanced science and technology. It is modern science (chaos physics, quantum mechanics, mesoscopic physics, molecular biology) and modern technology (computer technology, microelectronics and scanning tunneling microscope technology, The result of the combination of nuclear analysis technology, nanoscience and technology will trigger a series of new science and technology, such as nanoelectronics, nanomaterials, nanomechanics, etc.

Nanoscience

The current research and applications of nanotechnology are mainly in materials and preparation,

Nanoparticles are primitives of nanomaterials. Physical, chemical and biological methods are used to prepare "particles" containing only a few hundred or several thousand atoms and molecules. These "particles" are only a few nanometers in size.

Tempered, flammable and explosive nano metal particles The atoms on the surface of metal nano particles are very lively. It was found experimentally that if metal copper or aluminum was made into nanoparticles, it would burn fiercely and explode when exposed to air. Nanoparticle powder can be used as fuel and catalyst for successful solid rockets

Hercules in the material world - nano metal block metal nano particle powder made of block metal material, it will become very strong, more than ten times stronger than ordinary metals, and at the same time can be as elastic as rubber .

Wonderful Carbon Nanotubes Carbon nanotubes are cage-shaped "fibers" made by curling one or more layers of carbon atoms in graphite. The inside is hollow and the outside diameter is only a few to tens of nanometers. Its specific gravity is only one-sixth that of steel, but its strength is 100 times that of steel. Light, soft and very strong materials are best used as bulletproof vests. If carbon nanotubes are used to make a rope, it is the only rope that is hung from the moon to the surface of the earth and not pulled by its own weight. If you use it as an elevator for the earth-moon ride.

Color-changing nano-oxide materials The biggest ability of oxide nano-particles is to change the color quickly under the action of an electric field or under the irradiation of light. The glasses and advertising boards made as soldiers' protection laser guns will become more noisy and colorful under the action of electricity and light.

Rigid and flexible nano-ceramics Ceramics made of nano-ceramic powder have certain plasticity, high hardness and high temperature resistance, which makes the engine work at higher temperatures, cars will run faster, and airplanes will fly higher.

Nano materials that love to clean By combining transparent oleophobic and hydrophobic nanomaterial particles on the building surface or window glass, the building will not be stained by oil in the air, and the glass will not be transparent with water vapor. Putting this kind of nano-particles into the fabric fibers will make the clothes not dusty and save a lot of trouble of washing.

Magic boundless semiconductor nanomaterials The biggest use of semiconductor nanomaterials is that they can emit light of various colors and can be made into ultra-small laser light sources. It can also absorb light energy from sunlight; turn them directly into electricity.

The "missile" that transports drugs makes drugs into nanoparticles or puts drugs into the interior of magnetic nanoparticles. These particles can move freely in blood vessels and human tissues. If the particles are guided outside the human body so that the drugs are concentrated in the diseased tissue, the effect of drug treatment will be greatly improved.

New Nanomaterials- Carbon Nanotubes Recently, scientists are working on a new type of nanomaterial-carbon nanotubes. This is a very peculiar material. It is the curling of one or several layers of carbon atoms in graphite. The cage-shaped "fibers" are hollow inside and only a few to tens of nanometers in diameter on the outside. This material is very light but strong. Its density is 1/6 that of steel, but its strength is 100 times that of steel. It is best to make a bulletproof vest with such a light, soft and very strong material. If carbon nanotubes are used as a rope, it is the only rope that can be hung from the moon to the surface of the earth without being broken by its own weight. If you use it to make an earth-moon elevator for people, it will be easy for people to settle on the moon. The fine tips of carbon nanotubes emit electrons very easily. It is used to make electron guns and can be made into a wall-mounted TV screen with a thickness of a few centimeters. This is the development direction of TV manufacturing.

Nanotechnology is the science and technology of making materials from single atoms and molecules. Nano science and technology is a science and technology based on many modern advanced science and technology. It is modern science (chaos physics, quantum mechanics, mesoscopic physics, molecular biology) and modern technology (computer technology, microelectronics and scanning tunneling microscope technology, The result of the combination of nuclear analysis technology, nanoscience and technology will trigger a series of new science and technology, such as nanoelectronics, nanomaterials science, nanomechanics, etc.

Today, the largest scale of the material world that humans can study is about 1 billion light-years, which is the approximate range of the universe we have observed. The smallest scale of the material world studied by humans is about 0.1 Ami.

The so-called "nano" in nanotechnology is expressed in m in international units and in nm as a symbol. In terms of atoms in physics, the diameter of an atom is 0.1-0.3nm.

Nanotechnology refers to the study of the properties and interactions of matter on the nanoscale (between 1nm and 100nm), such as atoms and molecules, and multidisciplinary science and technology that use these properties. When the matter is as small as 1-100nm, its quantum effects, locality of matter, and huge surface and interface effects cause qualitative changes in many properties of matter, showing many singularities that are different from both macroscopic objects and single isolated atoms. phenomenon. The ultimate goal of nanotechnology is to directly produce products with specific functions based on the novel physical, chemical and biological properties of atoms, molecules and substances on the nanoscale.

Regarding the origin of nanotechnology, the first scientific and technical question raised at the nanoscale was the famous physicist and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman. In 1959 he proposed in a famous lecture: If human beings can process materials and prepare devices on the scale of atoms and molecules, we will have many exciting new discoveries. He pointed out that we need new miniaturized instruments to manipulate nanostructures and determine their properties. At that time, chemistry would become a matter of placing atoms precisely one by one as people wished. In 1974, Taniguchi first used the term nanotechnology to describe fine machining. In the late 1970s, Dr. Drexler of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology advocated nanotechnology research, but most mainstream scientists were skeptical at the time.

Although mainstream scientists at the time were not very optimistic about nanotechnology, they were always skeptical. However, with the development of science and technology, nanotechnology has gradually appeared in the eyes of scientists like a hibiscus.

In the 1970s, scientists began to put forward ideas about nanotechnology from different perspectives. Scientists wanted to use nanotechnology to achieve the realization of chemical materials and biological materials at the time, but many scientists still hold negative opinions. They think that nanotechnology is just a Technology that can be imagined and impossible. Until 1974, scientist Don Nicholas first used the term nanotechnology to describe precision machining. Since then, nanotechnology has slowly been recognized

In 1982, scientists invented an important tool for studying nanometers-scanning tunneling microscope. This important tool gave birth to a molecular world with a length of 0.1 to 100 nanometers in the human world. Its ultimate goal is to directly use atoms or molecules. To build products with specific functions. This important tool has played a positive role in promoting the development of nanotechnology.

In July 1990, the first International Nanoscience and Technology Conference was held in Baltimore, USA, marking the official birth of nanoscience and technology.
In 1991, carbon nanotubes were discovered by humans. Its mass is one sixth that of steel of the same volume, but its strength is 10 times that of steel. The discovery of this technology has made nanotechnology a hot spot for scientists to study. Nobel Prize winner Professor Smolly believes that carbon nanotubes will be the material of choice for the best fibers in the future, and will be widely used in ultra-micro wires, ultra-micro switches and nano-scale electronic circuits.
In 1997, American scientists successfully used single electrons to move single electrons for the first time. The use of this technology is expected to create a quantum computer with a speed and storage capacity that is hundreds of thousands of times higher than it is now.
In 1999, Brazilian and American scientists invented the smallest "scale" in the world when conducting carbon nanotube experiments. It can weigh one billionth of a gram, which is equivalent to the weight of a virus; shortly thereafter, German scientists Developed a scale that can weigh the weight of a single atom, breaking the record set by American and Brazilian scientists.
By 1999, nanotechnology has gradually entered the market, and the annual sales of nano products reached 50 billion US dollars.
In recent years, some countries have formulated related strategies or plans, and invested huge sums to seize the high ground of nanotechnology strategy. Japan sets up a nanomaterials research center to include nanotechnology in the R & D focus of the new five-year basic science and technology plan; Germany specializes in establishing a nanotechnology research network; the United States regards the nanometer plan as the core of the next industrial revolution, and the US government department will base nanotechnology on the foundation Investment in research has increased from US $ 116 million in 1997 to US $ 497 million in 2001, and investment in recent years has also continued to increase significantly.

All in all, the rapid development of nanotechnology was in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the early 1980s, Feynman invented important instruments for nanotechnology research-scanning tunneling microscope (STM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and other microscopic characterization and manipulation technologies. They have played a considerable role in the development of nanotechnology. enhancement.

At present, nanotechnology has become a relatively common science in human science, but the development of nanotechnology has just begun. Nanotechnology will bring many unexpected benefits to humanity in the future.

According to the introduction of materials provided by Japan's Apprad Research Institute, a prediction from the US venture company Zebex, known for its research on molecular machinery, believes that the development of nanotechnology may go through the following five stages:

The first stage of development focuses on accurately controlling nanostructured substances with less than 100 atoms. This requires the use of computer design / manufacturing technology and existing plant equipment and ultra-precision electronics. The market size at this stage is approximately $ 500 million.

The second stage is the production of nanostructured substances. At this stage, the manufacture of nanostructured materials and nanocomposites will reach a practical level. These include organic nanomaterials made from organic calcium carbonate, which will have a strength that is 3000 times that of inorganic single crystal materials. The market size at this stage was between $ 5 billion and $ 20 billion.

In the third stage, it will be possible to mass produce complex nanostructured substances. This requires advanced computer design / manufacturing systems, target design techniques, computer simulation techniques, and assembly techniques. The market size at this stage can reach $ 10 billion to $ 100 billion.

Nanocomputers will be implemented in the fourth phase. The market size at this stage will reach 200 billion to 1 trillion US dollars.

In the fifth phase, scientists will develop components and devices capable of making power sources and programs autonomous, with a market size of up to $ 6 trillion.

According to Zebex, although the timing of the arrival of each stage of nanotechnology is very uncertain and difficult to predict accurately, before 2010, nanotechnology may develop to the third stage, surpassing the "quantum effect barrier" Technology will reach practical level.

I believe that nanotechnology will bring huge benefits to human beings in the near future, and it will be another major technological hotspot chased by world powers after computers and genetic technology. Because the charm of nanotechnology is mainly that it can redefine almost all the current high-tech of human beings. With the gradual start of nanotechnology, many high-tech aliens described in science fiction have also become extremely possible for the earth people.

Excerpt from: Physical Basics of Nanomaterials Zhang Bangwei Chemical Industry Press

From: Nanomaterials Electrochemistry G. Holtz Scientific Press

Excerpt from: Nanobiotechnology: Concepts and Applications CM Christof M. Niemeyer, CA Meerkin (Chad A. Mirkin), Ma Guanghui, Su Zhiguo Chemical Industry Press

From: Information Center of China Association for Science and Technology