As far as Canadian scientist Dr Nils Petersen is concerned, when talking about nanotechnology, one has to bear in mind that it is not just a question of working on a microscopic scale, it is also about exploiting all the unique properties that exist on that scale.
Unusual properties may emerge in matter at such a tiny scale, says Dr Petersen. "There are two major things we can learn about this: properties of matter change when we move from one size to the next, and the challenge is for us to understand and exploit these changes," Dr Petersen says.
Dr Petersen is the executive director of the Edmonton-based National Institute of Nanotechnology in the province of Alberta, Canada.
Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating particles measuring between 1 and 100 nanometres. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. To put it in context, a human hair measures about 80,000 nanometres, while a page of a book measures 100,000 nanometres thick. The term "nanotechnology" is believed to have first been used by the late Professor Norio Taniguchi of the Tokyo Science University in 1974.
The Groundwork For Nanotechnology Was Laid 50 Years Ago
The groundwork for nanotechnology was laid 50 years ago, when Nobel-prizewinner physicist Richard Feynman talked about "the problem of manipulating and controlling things on a small scale". He said he was inspired by biology, which showed that nature had mastered the art of compressing massive amounts of information in tiny molecules called DNA.
However, it is only in the last 25 years that scientists have begun to develop the tools to facilitate a better understanding, Dr Petersen points out. And the costs can be prohibitive. For example, the Institute has invested more than CAD $45 million for various tools and facilities. "If we were to look across Canada, over the last several years, we would have easily invested CAD $250million. It is a very expensive game to get into."
The Future Uses of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is already found in minute particles used in everyday products such as sunscreens. Many sunscreens today contain zinc oxide or titanium oxide nanoparticles that allow the creams to be absorbed into the skin, leaving no whitish residue behind. Nanoparticles are also used in scratch-resistant glass, wrinkle-resistant clothes, and stronger but lighter tennis rackets
However, Dr. Petersen said these are “pedestrian applications” of a very powerful science. It is in the medical arena that the really interesting work is happening. For example, nanoscale magnets might be used to improve the contrast between healthy and diseased tissue in medical resonance imaging. Clinical trials in the U.S. testing to see if nanoparticles can be used to kill cancerous cells in humans have shown promising results, Dr Petersen said.
The next five to 10 years will see a lot of interesting work being done in the medical area, Dr Petersen says. It is in the next 10-15 years that we will see truly "transformational changes". For example, materials that might detect toxins in clothes is a strong possibility.
What About The Risks of Nanoparticles?
There are fears in some quarters that nanoparticles used in some cosmetics might penetrate in to the bloodstream and the lymphatic system.
“We need to worry about these issues but it is promising that the debate has begun before nano products enter the marketplace in a big way,” Dr Petersen said.
"Collectively across the globe we need to do more than we are doing. We are currently creating new materials with new properties and we need to know what these things are."
Indrani Nadarajah - Indrani Nadarajah is a journalist with 15 years international experience. She has written extensively on the Australian and Asian ...
