Nanotechnology-the next frontier

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: A set of scientists at Cornell University in the US created a tiny guitar the size of a human red blood cell. They made it by sculpting a guitar shape out of silicon crystal, the same material used in computer chips.

Scientists now expect to see microscopic parts being designed for use in mobile phones to make them smaller and lighter, with less power consumption. These are some examples where Nanotechnology has applications.

Research in full force

Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at nanometer lengths (one billionth of a meter) to produce new materials, structures and devices.

People like chemists, biologists, physicists and engineers are studying things that are so tiny you need special microscopes to see them. Some researchers are working on nanoscale devices that may lead to the formation of 'plastic' circuit elements and circuit 'sheets' fabricated with ink jet printers within three years. It is being estimated that about $4 billion is being invested worldwide annually in the nanotechnology research by governments and major corporations.

The huge potential payoff

It is being hoped that complex nanoelectronic devices, in memory, displays, solar cells or passive drug delivery and diagnostics, as well as improved implantable medical devices will hit the market in the near future. Long-term product payoffs could come from new products in sectors that do not yet exist, such as nanomedicine, nanotherapeutics or nano-designed artificial chromosomes or quantum computers used in the design of small-molecules.

Countries such as the US, Japan and Taiwan are racing to produce nanomaterials that can be applied to electronics, optics, medical devices and other industries.

For instance, nanoelectronic components will be able to form nanocomputers with far greater data access speeds and storage density than what is possible with the current micro-processing techniques. Switchable nanostructures can be incorporated into nanoprocesssors, random access memory and data storage media. In a similar fashion, the use of nanotechnology in medicine will help in the diagnosis and treatment of illness and injury; and enhancement of human health and functioning. Nanopharmacology systems may diagnose conditions and detect pathogens and identify optimal pharmaceutical agents to treat a medical condition or pathogens; fuel high-yield production of matched pharmaceuticals (potentially in vivo); locate, attach or enter target cells, structures or pathogens; and dispense the optimal amount of matched pharmaceuticals to target areas.