Executive summary 3
Literature Review 5
Nanotechnology in Medicine 6
Drug delivery systems 7
Other applications 8
Despite the fact that nanotechnology is a relatively novel technology, its applications are already widespread including: secure, clean and affordable energy; medical drugs and inventions for early detection and treatment of various diseases; lighter, stronger and more durable construction materials; energy efficient lighting, adequate sensors capable of detecting hazardous biological or chemical agents, clean and safe drinking water through application of effective filters
The application of nanotechnology is widespread given the numerous advantages and benefits it possesses over the normal technology. The applications in medicine and food production as well as energy are tremendous. Nanotechnology has proven to be a potential solution to some of the problems and challenges experienced across the globe. Medicine has seen to the development of several types of therapy through the application of smart drug. This invention has completely revolutionized current treatment of cancer and other diseases.
Nano-technology is a different area of science that has generated a tremendous amount of excitement and criticism in equal measure. Even through some application of this technology are visible and are already in use, the technology is still under a lot of study and experimentation across the globe. Scientists have discovered that the technology can be harnessed so as to address some of the world’s largest challenges (Chau et al, 2005). Operating at a nano-scale level enables scientists and researchers to generate new products, technologies, and tools which are extremely useful in addressing the majority of the catastrophes, challenges, and disasters the world is currently facing.
Over the last couple of decades, the research and study on nanotechnology have tremendously increased. Nanotechnology and nanoscience are the research, development and use of materials, machines, and devices at the nanometer or the atomic scale. Also, it entails making use of unique attributes that exist for structures at the small dimensions. Nanotechnology is considered a technology that is below the sub-micron scale. There are some advantages associated with technology at the sub-micron scale. As compared to the normal size technology, nanotechnology exhibit such advantages as lighter, faster, cheaper, more energy competent, minimized waste product and a variety of properties at very diminutive scale (Moniz, 2010).
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology entail the research and study aimed at discovering novel properties and behaviors of materials and objects with measurements at the nanoscale. The dimensions range from an estimate of 1 to 100 nanometers. On the other hand, nanotechnology entails the methods through which the discoveries made at the nano science are implemented in the real world. One intriguing fact about nanotechnology that makes it special is that materials pose different properties at the nano scale level (Serrano & Garcia-Martinez, 2009). As a consequence, these properties are harnessed to develop new technology that can be used to address real-world challenges at the standard scale (Shi et al, 2010).
As compared to the normal range, most materials exhibit enhanced properties at the nanoscale. For instance, most materials are better conductors of heat or electricity at the nanoscale than there are at the regular scale. Also, some materials exhibit improved strength at the nanoscale as compared to their average power (Serrano & Garcia-Martinez, 2009). Additionally, some materials demonstrate different magnetic properties while some are capable of reflecting light better at the nanoscale level than at the standard scale. At the nanoscale level, materials exhibit increased surface area as compared to the normal size. That is to say, at the nanoscale level, materials possess more surface area that enables them to interact with other elements in their surroundings.
Medicine and the energy sector are some of the areas that have immensely embraced the new technology. There are so many practical applications of nano-technology in the energy sector as well as the medical sector (Chau et al, 2005). The application of nano technology in medicine is, without a doubt, fantastic. Some of the emerging nanotechnology application in medicine such as the application of nanotechnology in the treatment of cancer is undeniably a huge step in the medical world. The technology entails the application of nanoparticle to deliver light, drugs, heat or other substances to a particular breed of cells as the cancer cells. The particles are designed so that they are attracted to the diseased cells, thus direct therapy to those cells. The application of nanotechnology in this form of therapy present enormous upshots as it minimizes damage to healthy cells thereby enabling timely detection of diseases (Moniz, 2010).
Apart from the medical applications of nanotechnology, the energy sector has also embraced the technology. The applications and emerging technology at the nano scale in the energy sector are widespread. The technology is currently being incorporated in several applications to enhance the efficiency of energy creation as well as create novel methods of energy generation.
The global energy requirement is experiencing rapid growth according to the predictions of some of the international energy organizations (Nie, et al, 2007). At the current state, more than 75 percent of the global primary energy is generated from fossil fuel. Even though the reserve of the fossil fuel will run for quite a long time, their ability to cater for the global energy demands is not certain.
Fossil fuel present a tremendous amount of atmospheric CO2 leading to climatic changes which show several effects. In light of climatic change in addition to the scarcity of the fossil fuel, it is clear that the future energy supply can only be attained through renewable energy sources. The global energy requirement could be meet with the use of energy recovery via renewable sources such as the wind, solar, water and geothermal (Chau et al, 2005). However, the recovery of renewable energy is still too expensive and inefficient. The application of nanotechnology could revolutionize the recovery process of this type of energy and solve the eminent global energy crisis.
Nanotechnology in Medicine
The application of nanotechnology in holds a lot of promises in the area of medicine. There are potential benefits associated with the application of this technology in medicine. It presents a number of beneficial properties that can solve some of the most disturbing diseases and illnesses around the globe (Shi et al, 2010). Nanotechnology holds great potential in the field of tissue regeneration. It has a potential in helping with the formation of molecular systems that could be utilized in tissue regeneration given that the similarity of these molecules and the living systems is strikingly high.
Drug delivery systems
In the field of medicine, the technology is majorly used as the basis for novel and more effective system for drug delivery. It also hold a lot of potential in the as scaffolding in nerve regeneration studies. Additionally, nanotechnology is being applied in the development of smart drugs. That is, it is being applied in the development of targeted drug treatments. The use of targeted drug therapy presents fewer side effects as compared to the current types of therapies applied. It is applied in delivering drugs and other substances to specifically the affected cells. This method of drug delivery ensures that the healthy cells are not interfered with, thus reduced side effects. Cancer treatment has reported a number of positive outcomes through the use of this method (Nie et al, 2007).
The application of this technology in drug delivery has presented the possibility of delivering both drugs and other useful substances to specific cells through the use of nano-particles. The overall side effects and drug consumption is immensely reduced by depositing the active substance in the affected area only. This ensures that the surrounding cells are not affected in the processes, thus quick patient recovery in addition to fewer side effects. The use of nanoparticles in drug and substance delivery emphasizes on maximizing bio-availability thus improving treatment methods.
The use of nanoparticles in drug delivery can be applied in a number of therapies. There are so many trials this technology has been employed in. It has reported a lot of positive response from its application in the treatment of cancer. The small size of the nanoparticles provides them with large surface area to volume ration. This enables for numerous functional groups to be embedded to the particle which target and bind to tumor cells (Nie et al, 2007). The use of nanoparticles in drug delivery systems can be applied in many organizations in Dubai. The modern hospitals in the region can embrace this technology to effectively delivery treatment to cancer cells. Besides using the technology in cancer treatment, it can be used to delivery drugs and other substances in order to cure several types of illnesses without increased side effects.
The technology is applied in energy storage highly depends on nano technology given its widespread application in areas such as super-capacitors, batteries, hydrogen, fuel reforming, absorption storage and fuel tanks. The current batteries employ the use of optimized nano structured electrodes for optimum energy storage (Nie, et al, 2007). The technology has also helped a great deal in minimizing the amount of power lost during transmission in the electric transmission cables. The application of carbon nano-tubes in the transmission cables has the potential of lowering the resistance of the cables thus reducing the amount of power loss during the transmission process.
Nanotechnology has extensive areas of application. The medical sector highly benefits from the technology given the myriad advantage the technology present in ensuring health effectiveness from production, generation, distribution storage and consumption of drug and other substances. Even though the technology has not yet been fully understood, it can be applied in some other sectors to generate solutions and address some of the challenges experienced around the globe.
Chau, R., Datta, S., Doczy, M., Doyle, B., Jin, B., Kavalieros, J., & Radosavljevic, M. (2005). Benchmarking nanotechnology for high-performance and low-power logic transistor applications. Nanotechnology, IEEE Transactions on, 4(2), 153-158.
Moniz, E. J. (2010). Nanotechnology for the Energy challenge. J. GarcÃa-MartÃnez (Ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Nie, S., Xing, Y., Kim, G. J., & Simons, J. W. (2007). Nanotechnology applications in cancer. Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng., 9, 257-288.
Serrano, E., Rus, G., & Garcia-Martinez, J. (2009). Nanotechnology for sustainable energy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 13(9), 2373-2384.
Shi, J., Votruba, A. R., Farokhzad, O. C., & Langer, R. (2010). Nanotechnology in drug delivery and tissue engineering: from discovery to applications. Nano letters, 10(9), 3223-3230.