The Promise Is Still There
August / September 2010
Volume 8 Number 4
In the last few years, the term “nanotechnology” has been accumulating a few myths and some strange opinions, one of the most popular of which is that the idea of using nanometer-sized matter arose recently. The start date of present nanotechnology studies is often located with the date of discovery of carbon nanotubes—the most popular nanoparticle. Thus, many scientists point to Sumio Iijima’s work in 1991. But the first information about this particular form of nanotube was described by Russian academics in 1951, which pushes the start of experimental nanotechnology a few decades back.
Despite the finding of the Russians, which proved the existence of carbon nanotubes, the nanometer-sized matter was accessible many years earlier. The idea of carbon nanotubes was formulated and finally expressed in 1951, but they were obviously present in various systems, for instance, in the soot. The interest of scientists driven by the words of Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman in his remarkable 1959 talk at CalTech, (“There is plenty of room at the bottom”) stimulated scientists to pay more attention to the world at nanoscale in order to look for potentially new technical solutions.
What has driven scientists’ interest toward nanoworld? The most popular reasons for scientists’s interest in nanomaterials were their unique properties and the possibility of transferring technical ideas and systems into the nanoscale level. In effect, it was possible to further miniaturize solutions resulting in faster operation and multiplied physical and chemical abilities. Thus, in the view of some, the increase of the surface of the matter in a form of nano-sized matter compared to the bulk material is the most advantageous feature of these materials. The higher the surface area is, the bigger its influence on performance of solutions like catalysts, composite’s fillers, etc. It is all true, but high surface area is not the most important feature of nano-sized matter.
In the nanoscale, atoms of the material are usually more precisely organized in space in a form of periodic lattices or chains. Moreover, the number of atoms in nano-sized material is much smaller when compared to the bulk material and in effect their properties are less influenced by other atoms.
So the chemical and physical properties of the nanomaterial could differ considerably from the properties of a macroscale system built with the same elements. This fact stood behind many innovations in nanotechnology. Scientists figured out that despite the small sizes, nanomaterials could better conduct electricity or heat and are more mechanically durable or exhibit catalytic effects.
Nanomaterial began to be used in many commercial solutions.
What has driven markets’ interest toward nanotechnology? In the last 10 years, the term nanotechnology has become popular and stylish in various marketing campaigns. Simultaneously, some of the market players started to overuse this term to increase attractiveness of their products. In this regard, any product that contains nano-sized material was getting a nanoproduct label. For instance, some products are labeled because chemicals within them were organized or grouped in a form of nano-size clusters or micelles. The micelles were known for many years before the rise of interest in nanotechnology but no one referred to them as nanomaterials as they do now. By this reasoning, milk ought to be called a nano-product because it is an emulsion with many micelles structures inside.
Some entities started to control the usage of the nanotechnology label. The most popular example is the attempt of the Russian government to forbid and prosecute those companies who overuse the term in marketing their products. In this case, this specific action was closely related to the activity of Russian RUSNANO Corporation established by the government to invest and stimulate growth of nanotechnology startups in Russia. Before the crisis, the government wisely decided to invest some money into nanotechnology business that would positively influence the economy and enable them to secure some interesting intellectual properties in this area.
The raise of RUSNANO is another example of growing interest in nanotechnology and the attraction that it generated. The industry is attracted not by the hype but by the real proof of this technology’s profitability. Nanotechnology provides excellent advantages in many kinds of solutions and has already has found applications in many industries. The list of emerging applications of nanomaterials is vast and refers to nearly all aspects of human activities. However, the interesting thing is the fact that the nanomaterials in the past were used mostly in “rough” nanosolutions. Here, the term “rough” refers to the simple effect gained through nanomaterial usage such as the increased mechanical strength and the enhanced thermal conductivity or antiseptic properties of doped composite or coated surface. In this regard, nanomaterials were used as traditional fillers or additives using popular mixing or application techniques. But as it turned out, the nanomaterials were poorly applicable with common techniques and new technical problems came up with their proper handling such as dispersion within bulk material, surface modification or processing during production. Thus, at this stage of nanotechnology development, some of the industrial experts were skeptical and claimed that the benefits were sometimes not worthy of the time and money required.
Fortunately, due to the progress in research, nanomaterials are being used in more demanding and sophisticated applications. The extraordinary properties that were fascinating scientists across the world are becoming fully utilized in highly demanding technical solutions. So far, nanomaterials have proved their high usability in such top level technologies as novel integrated circuits, photovoltaics, lab-on-chip systems, NEMS, sensors, LED and several others. Nanotechnology has made giant progress from its immature level, (characterized by the ability to provide mostly mechanically enforced composites) to the stage where single nanoparticles are used to construct miniaturized electronic systems (such as nanotube radio). In this and similar technical demonstrations of nanomaterials’ capabilities, the crucial aspect was the proper handling and production of their pure and precisely defined blends. This stage of nanomaterials application is not closed, yet various interesting and highly practical tools for nanotechnology development and application have been developed, which stimulate development of nanomaterials-related solutions and their diffusion toward various markets.
Nanotechnology now experiences a similar development scenario as the semiconductor industry did in the 1980s. It is said that these two markets look alike due to the similar rapid growth and intense diffusion across various areas of our life. We are now witnessing the influence of nanotechnology on our lifestyle and our environment. Nanotechnology as a relatively new industry has just spread its wings and prepares to get off the ground along its development path. The market players who have engaged in this area are now in a good position for growth. Whether these companies will take advantage of this historic occasion depends on their capabilities and their people.
Krzysztof Grzybowski, Ph.D., is an industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan’s Technical Insights Group.
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