National Nanotechnology Day: Celebrating the Science of Extremely Small Things Used in Many Critical Applications
National Nanotechnology Day provides a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness about a tiny science that enables incredible scientific advances that enrich our daily lives.
What
is nanotechnology, and how small is it? Nanotechology
is the study and manipulation of matter at incredibly small sizes. “Nano” means
a billionth of a meter. To put that in perspective, the tip of a ballpoint pen
is about 1 million nanometers wide. Hence, a nanometer is much smaller than the
human eye can see.
Why
is nanotechnology important? Using
nanotechnology, scientists and engineers can create new materials, products and
devices, and technical advances that yield life-changing results. This
amazingly tiny science is at the forefront of some extraordinary innovations in
healthcare, technology, and building and construction.
Here
are a few ways nanotechnology is changing our world in 2019:
- Helping to prevent mosquito
bites: Diseases transmitted by
mosquitos — malaria, dengue fever, zika, and others — are responsible for millions
of deaths around the world every year. Brown University researchers have shown
that lining fabric with the extremely strong nanomaterial graphene
can block the signals mosquitos use to identify a blood meal, potentially
enabling a new approach to helping to prevent mosquito bites. - Locating cancerous tissue
during surgery: Cancer treatment can
have enormous physical, emotional, and financial consequences for patients
and their families. Medical researchers are using nanotechnology to
develop more targeted, less invasive tools for cancer detection and
treatment. As one example, researchers from the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a medical tagging
substance made of clusters of nanosized silver plates, each about 10,000 times
thinner than a human hair. The nano-tags bind to cancerous cells, differentiating
them from health cells. The hope is that the nano-tags will allow cancer
surgeons to remove tumor tissue more efficiently and help doctors
prescribe doses of anti-cancer medicines more precisely. - Clean water: The United Nations estimates that more than 800
million people lack access to clean water. Australian researchers at RMIT
University and University of New South Wales have designed a rapid
nano-filter that they claim can clean dirty water
over 100 times faster than current technology. The filter has been shown
to remove lead and oil from water and has the potential to target other
common contaminants.
Looking
for more ways to celebrate nanotechnology?
The National Nanotechnology Initiative plays a critical role in coordinating research,
investments and education efforts across the federal government. To celebrate
National Nanotechnology Day, the National Nanotechnology
Initiative and several schools, labs and organizations nationwide will be
holding events to commemorate the date, including a challenge to run a 100 Billion Nanometer Dash (equal to 100 meters) and a series of podcasts featuring
stories from the National Nanotechnology Initiative. A full list of events can
be found on the official NNI website and on the organization’s Twitter page, @NNInanonews.
Alongside these
efforts, the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Nanotechnology
Panel is at the forefront of guiding
the responsible development of nanotechnologies domestically and
internationally and providing a scientifically sound approach to nanotechnology
policy.
To learn more
about the Nanotechnology Panel or to inquire about joining the panel, contact
Jay West at jay_west@americanchemistry.com.
You can also follow @AmChemistry on
Twitter during our official nanotechnology Twitter takeover and retweet our
facts and graphics on nanotechnology.
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