There is a lot of noise regarding the new tiny technology. This technology’s applications are delivering both expected and unexpected ways of nanotechnology’s promise to benefit society.

FREMONT, CA: Nanotechnology is helping in significantly improving, even revolutionizing, many technologies and industry sectors: homeland security, transportation, information technology, food safety, environmental science, and many more.

Everyday Processes and Materials

Many advantages of nanotechnology rely on the fact that it is possible to modify the materials’ structures at significantly small scales to obtain particular properties, thus greatly expanding the materials science toolkit. Materials can be effectively made lighter, durable, stronger, and more reactive with by utilizing nanotechnology. Several everyday commercial products are presently available in the market for daily use that relies on nanoscale processes and materials.

• Clear nanoscale films on computer, eyeglasses and camera displays, windows, and other surfaces can help them be water-and residue-repellent, self-cleaning, anti-fog, scratch-resistant, electrically conductive, antireflective, ultraviolet or infrared light-resistant or antimicrobial.

• Lightweights of trucks, cars, airplanes, spacecraft, and boats can lead to substantial fuel savings. Nanoscale additives in polymer composite materials are utilized in tennis rackets, baseball bats, bicycles, automobile parts, motorcycle helmets, power tool housings, and luggage, making them stiff, lightweight, resilient, and durable. The production of carbon nanotube sheets has been started for using it in next-generation air vehicles.

• Nanoscale additives to or fabrics’ surface treatments can offer weightless ballistic energy deflection in personal body armor or can assist them in resisting wrinkling, bacterial growth, and staining.

• Nano-engineered materials in automotive objects comprise a high-power rechargeable battery system, tires with lesser rolling resistance, thermoelectric materials for temperature control, high-efficiency/affordable sensors and electronics, fuel additives for cleaner exhaust and expanded range, and thin-film smart solar panels.

• Nano-bioengineering of enzymes is aiming to enable cellulose conversion from corn stalks, wood chips, unfertilized perennial grasses, etc. into ethanol for fuel. Cellulosic nanomaterials have displayed prospective applications in a vast array of industrial sectors, involving the construction sector, electronics, food, packaging, energy, automotive, health care, and defense. Cellulosic nanomaterials are projected to be less costly as compared to other nanomaterials, and among other features, tout an attractive strength-to-weight ratio.

Electronics and IT Applications

Nanotechnology has notably contributed to a lot to the computing and electronics field, which has led to smarter, faster, smaller, and more portable systems that can manage and store significant amounts of information. These constantly evolving technologies include:

• Computers can boot almost instantly by utilizing random access memory (MRAM). MRAM is allowed by magnetic tunnel junctions on a nanometer scale and can save data quickly and efficiently during a device shutdown or allow features for resume play.

• Bendable, flexible, foldable, stretchable, and rollable electronics are making their way into multiple sectors and are being incorporated into a variety of items, including medical applications, wearables, aerospace applications, and the Internet of Things. Flexible applications have been established utilizing, for example, semiconductor nanomembranes for applications in e-reader displays and smartphones. Other nanomaterials such as graphene and cellulosic nanomaterials are used for various kinds of flexible electronics to empower wearable and ‘tattoo sensors, photovoltaics that can be sewn into clothing.

• Ultra-high-definition displays and televisions are being sold that utilize quantum dots to generate more vibrant colors simultaneously being more energy-efficient.

• Nanoparticle copper suspensions are created as a cheaper, safer, and more authentic substitute to lead-based solder and other dangerous material that are commonly utilized to fuse electronics in the assembly process.

• Other electronic and computing products involve Flash memory chips for thumb drives and smartphones, antimicrobial/antibacterial coatings on keyboards and cell phone casings, ultra-responsive hearing aids, conductive inks for printed electronics for smart cards/RFID/smart packaging and agile displace for e-book readers.

Nanotechnology holds a vast scope in all the sectors, especially electronics. This tiny technology will soon transform the entire way in which all the electronics work.