Nanotechnology is a
relatively new materials science that is slowly beginning to revolutionize many
sectors of manufacturing.
The long term
outlook is exceptionally promising.
Only
a small number of consumers or business executives realize the extent to which
nanotech is going to change the materials they use every day.
As of 2017, so much progress has been made in
nanotech research and development that commercialization is accelerating
broadly.
One factor boosting the
adoption of nanotechnology is an increase in the manufacture and availability
of carbon nanotubes, a basic nanomaterial that can be used in a wide variety of
manufactured goods.
These nanotubes have
been shown to have highly valuable qualities, including incredible strength,
extremely light weight and high conductivity of electricity.
As nanotube supplies increase and costs drop,
use will increase significantly.
(Prices
have fallen from hundreds of dollars per gram in the late 1990s to only a few
dollars per gram today—depending on the exact specifications of the nanotube.)
Investment in nanotechnology research and the
market for nanotech products have expanded steadily.
The U.S.
government alone proposed $1.443
billion in nanotech research grants and projects for fiscal 2017.
This was up significantly from only $0.464 billion
in 2001.
This budget aids the industry
primarily through grants made via the Department of Health and Human Services,
the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Department of
Defense.
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Nanotechnology is a
relatively new materials science that is slowly beginning to revolutionize many
sectors of manufacturing. The long term
outlook is exceptionally promising. Only
a small number of consumers or business executives realize the extent to which
nanotech is going to change the materials they use every day. As of 2017, so much progress has been made in
nanotech research and development that commercialization is accelerating
broadly. One factor boosting the
adoption of nanotechnology is an increase in the manufacture and availability
of carbon nanotubes, a basic nanomaterial that can be used in a wide variety of
manufactured goods. These nanotubes have
been shown to have highly valuable qualities, including incredible strength,
extremely light weight and high conductivity of electricity. As nanotube supplies increase and costs drop,
use will increase significantly. (Prices
have fallen from hundreds of dollars per gram in the late 1990s to only a few
dollars per gram today—depending on the exact specifications of the nanotube.)
Investment in nanotechnology research and the
market for nanotech products have expanded steadily. The U.S. government alone proposed $1.443
billion in nanotech research grants and projects for fiscal 2017. This was up significantly from only $0.464 billion
in 2001. This budget aids the industry
primarily through grants made via the Department of Health and Human Services,
the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Department of
Defense. However, many other agencies
receive research funding through this budget, including Homeland Security,
Agriculture, NASA, the Department of Commerce and the Environmental Protection
Agency. This diversity of research
interests is an excellent indicator of the fact that nanotech will eventually
permeate virtually every segment of business, industry, transportation, food
production and our daily lives.
Estimates of the size
of the market for products containing nanotechnology components or ingredients
vary widely. The U.S. National
Nanotechnology Initiative estimated the global market would be $2.4 trillion in
2015. (This is the broadest possible
measure: total revenue from the
products—including nanotechnology and other components.) Nanotechnology is clearly coming of age.
The Japanese and
Chinese governments are among the nations in the top ranks of nanotech
funding. Meanwhile, the European
Nanotechnology Trade Alliance (ENTA) boosts the nanotech industry in Europe,
where funding is very substantial, and Asian governments from Singapore to
South Korea and Taiwan are big supporters as well.
Nanotechnology is
generally defined as the science of designing, building or utilizing unique
structures that are smaller than 100 nanometers in size (a nanometer is one
billionth of a meter). This involves
microscopic structures that are no larger than the width of some cell
membranes. A human hair is about 50,000
nanometers in diameter. In particular,
nanotech may involve the manipulation of materials on the molecular or atomic
level so that they take on new characteristics, such as increased strength or
resistance. (“Nano” comes from a Greek
word for dwarf or pygmy.)
Nanotechnology has
applications in fields such as semiconductors, biotechnology, solar power,
chemistry, automotive systems, apparel, coatings, robotics and aerospace. The result will be new ways to solve problems
and create products based on the use of micro components.
Over the next few
years, the fastest-growing commercialized uses of nanotechnology will most
likely be in coatings, including advanced paints used in extreme environments;
specialty chemicals; aerospace; electronics; pharmaceuticals and other health
care technologies; and textiles. As the
technology matures, many more uses will be commercialized.
The Project on Emerging
Nanotechnologies (www.nanotechproject.org )
listed 1,628 items in a recent inventory of consumer products that have a
nanotech component, up from only 209 products listed in their initial March
2006 inventory. The list includes health
and fitness items (such as cosmetics, sunscreens and sporting goods), food and
beverage products, home and garden items and electronics and computer products.
MEMS, another branch of
technology involving extreme miniaturization, refers to a very exciting field
in microelectronics. Specifically, we
define MEMS as “Micro Electro Mechanical Systems,” micro-scale structures that
transduce signals between electronic and mechanical forms. Both MEMS and nanotech are vital to the
long-term trend of greater and greater miniaturization of electronics and other
systems.
Estimates of the size
of the MEMS market vary. Analysts at
research firm Yole estimated the global market for MEMS devices at $15 billion
for 2016, and $30 billion for 2020. Research
firm IHS forecasts substantial growth in demand for MEMS due to the expansion
of remote wireless sensors and devices connected to the internet, often
referred to as the Internet of Things or IOT.
This niche MEMS market could reach $334.2 million by 2018 in direct and
indirect impact.
MEMS technology is
widely utilized. A common use of MEMS is
in the micro switch installed in airbags in automobiles. These MEMS switches must be accurate enough
to determine when, and at what level of strength, a collision occurs, and then
set off the inflation of the air bag quickly enough to protect passengers
before the collision’s impact reaches them.
Internet Research Tip: The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
See www.nanotechproject.org , an interesting
web site, for two tools:
1)
An entertaining and highly informative “Learn about
Nanotechnology” section.
2)
Their “Inventories” lists of consumer products containing
nanotechnology components and much more.
MEMS are becoming more
sophisticated. Where in the past each
MEMS unit focused on one feature, today’s MEMS often contain a combination of
sensors such as pressure, accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers. This is being driven by the growing use of MEMS
in advanced mobile devices.
A continuing stream of
advances in nanotechnology and carbon nanoscience is pouring forth from the
world’s top universities and commercial laboratories. Firms that are deeply involved include IBM,
which recently announced a potential breakthrough in using nanotech to destroy
drug-resistant bacteria in human patients; Intel, which is using nanotech to
dramatically increase the potential speed and power of microchips; and BASF,
the world’s leading chemicals maker, which is relying on nanotech to
dramatically increase the qualities of its specialty chemicals.
Soon enough,
nanotechnology will enable the high capacity batteries (that will power the
electric automobiles of the future), extend the shelf life of foods, enhance
the targeted delivery of powerful drugs and create the ultradense computer
memory needed for high speed computing.
One of the more exciting developments is the recent discovery of
graphene, an incredibly strong, thin carbon material that is the world’s best
conductor of electricity.
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