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DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SEMINAR-I
RME-559
Lab Faculty : Prof. Balbir Singh

Name Parag Singh

Roll No. 1629040038
Section/Group III-ME-A/A2
Topic Nano Technology
Grade
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Contents 2

1. Introduction 3
2. History 4
3. Tools and Techniques 6
3.1 Carbon Nanotubes 8
4. Approaches used 11
4.1 Top – down 11
4.2 Bottom – up 12
5. Application 13
5.1 Nanotechnology in Drugs (Cancer) 13
5.2 Nanotechnology in Fabrics 15
5.3 Nanotechnology in Information and Communications 15
5.4 Nanotechnology in Energy and Environmental 18
6. Nanotechnology in INDIA : CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE
PROSPECTS 19

7. Pitfalls of Nanotechnology 22

8. Latest Research on Nanotechnology 23

9. Refernces 25
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1. Introduction

• The word nanotechnology is made of two words nano and technology. A

nanometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billionth of a
metre(10-9).

• Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines and

techniques, in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function.

• The word nano means very small objects of the range 1-100 nm (1 nm = 10-9 m).

• The study of nanomaterials occurs in nano technology that is the manipulation of

matter on atomic and molecular scale.

• The physical, chemical, electrical, magnetic and optical properties of nano

materials are different from the properties of same material of bigger size.

• Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic scale.

• Example :- 1). Inerted material show catalytic properties (Pt).

2). Insulator behaves as semiconductors (Si).

3). Stable metals becomes combustible (Al).

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2. History

As is the case with many other disciplines, applications of nanotechnology (for example,
in making steel and creating paintings) were in use centuries before the field was
formally defined. Early contributors to the field include James Clark Maxwell (Scottish
physicist and mathematician, 1831-1879) and Richard Adolf Zsigmondy (Austrian-
German chemist, 1865-1929). Zsigmondy studied colloids (chemical mixtures where
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one substance is dispersed evenly throughout another) and looked at gold sols and
other nanomaterials. Other important contributors in the first half of the 20th century
include Irvin Langmuir (American chemist and physicist, 1881-1957) and Katherine B.
Blodgett (American physicist, 1898-1910), the first woman to get her Ph.D. studying
Physics at the University of Cambridge.

The earliest systematic discussion of nanotechnology is considered to be a speech

given by Richard Feynman (American physicist, 1918-1988) in 1959. It was titled:
"There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom." In this speech Feynman discussed the
importance "of manipulating and controlling things on a small scale" and how they could
"tell us much of great interest about the strange phenomena that occur in complex
situations." He described how physical phenomena change their manifestation
depending on scale, and posed two challenges: the creation of a nanomotor, and the
scaling down of letters to the size that would allow the whole Encyclopedia Britannica to
fit on the head of a pin.

The term 'nanotechnology' was used first by the Japanese scientists Norio Taniguchi
(1912-1999) in a 1974 paper on production technology that creates objects and features
on the order of a nanometer. The American engineer K. Eric Drexler (b. 1955) is
credited with the development of molecular nanotechnology, leading to nanosystems
machinery manufacturing.

The invention of scanning tunneling microscope in the 1980s by IBM Zurich

scientists and then the atomic force microscope allowed scientists to see materials at
an unprecedented atomic level. The availability of more and more powerful computers
around this time enabled large scale simulations of material systems using
supercomputers. These studies provided insight into nanoscale material structures and
their properties. The complementary activities of modeling and simulation, atomic scale
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visualization and characterization, and experimental synthesis activities fueled

nanoscale research activities in the 1980s.

3. Tools and Techniques

 The Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) are scanning probes that launched
nanotechnology.

Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)

The development of the family of scanning probe microscopes started with the original
invention of the STM in 1981. Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer developed the first
working STM while working at IBM Zurich Research Laboratories in Switzerland. This
instrument would later win Binnig and Rohrer the Nobel prize in physics in 1986.

The Quantum Corral

The STM image below shows the direction of standing-wave patterns in the local
density of states of the Cu(111) surface. These spatial oscillations are quantum-
mechanical interference patterns caused by scattering of the two-dimensional electron
gas off the Fe atoms and point defects.
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How an STM Works

The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) works by scanning a very sharp metal wire
tip over a surface. By bringing the tip very close to the surface, and by applying an
electrical voltage to the tip or sample, we can image the surface at an extremely small
scale – down to resolving individual atoms.
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3D rendered Scanning Tunneling Microscope image of atoms.

The STM is based on several principles. One is the quantum mechanical effect
of tunneling. It is this effect that allows us to “see” the surface. Another principle is
the piezoelectric effect. It is this effect that allows us to precisely scan the tip with
angstrom-level control. Lastly, a feedback loop is required, which monitors the tunneling
current and coordinates the current and the positioning of the tip. This is shown
schematically below where the tunneling is from tip to surface with the tip rastering with
piezoelectric positioning, with the feedback loop maintaining a current setpoint to
generate a 3D image of the electronic topography:
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Schematic of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).

3.1 Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes were discovered in 1991 by Sumiyo Iijima, a Japanese scientist

working at the NEC Corporation. A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a tubular form of carbon
with a diameter as small as 0.4 nm and length from a few nanometers up to a
millimeter. The length-to-diameter ratio of a carbon nanotube can be as large as
28,000,000:1, which is unequalled by any other material.

Carbon exists in several forms; graphite and diamond are the most familiar. To imagine
how a carbon nanotube looks like, think about taking a single layer of a graphite sheet,
cutting it into a small piece of any size, and rolling it like you would roll a cigar. The
result is a single-wall carbon nanotube(SWCNT). If you take multiple layers of a
graphite sheet and roll them like a cigar, then you get a multiwall carbon nanotube
(MWCNT).
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A sheet of graphene rolled to show formation of different types oof single-walled carbon
nanotubes.
Image Credit: NASA Ames Center for Nanotechnology

Application

▫ Easton-Bell Sports, Inc. using CNT in making bicycle component.

▫ Replacing transistors from the silicon chips as they are small and emits less heat.

▫ In electric cables and wires.

▫ In solar cells.

▫ In fabrics.
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4. Approaches used

There are two types of approaches for synthesis of nano material and fabrication of
nano structure.

4.1 Top-down

 This technique is based on breakdown of materials.

 In top down approach nano objects and materials are created by larger
entities without bouncing its atomic reactions usually top down approach
is practiced less as compared to the bottom up approach.
 Top – Down approaches refers to slicing or successive cutting of a bulk material
to get nano sized particles there are two types *attrition and *milling.
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4.2 Bottom – Up

 This technique is based on assembling building units.

(Atoms, molecule, polymer, colloid etc.)
 In the bottom up approach different materials and devices are constructed from
molecular components of their own. They chemically assemble themselves by
recognizing the molecules of their own breed.
 Bottom – up refers to methods where devices 'create themselves' by
selfassembly. Chemical synthesis is a good example. Bottom-up should broadly
speaking be able to produce devices in parallel and much cheaper than top-down
methods, but getting control over the methods is difficult when things become
larger and more bulky than what is normally made by chemical synthesis. Of
course nature has had time to evolve and optimize self-assembly processes that
can do wonders.
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5. Application

5.1 Nanotechnology in Drugs (Cancer)

 Nanotechnology is expected to have a significant impact on improving the quality

of health care through early and reliable diagnostics of diseases, better drugs,
targeted drug delivery, improved implants, and other applications.
 Biosensors - using a combination of nanomaterials, novel device fabrication
techniques and advances in signal processing - are being developed for early
detection of several life threatening illnesses. These sensors use carbon
nanotubes or silicon nanowires which can host the probe molecule that seeks to
identify the signature of a particular condition or illness. Nanobiosensors using
this approach are expected to be mass-produced using techniques developed by
the computer chip industry.
 Nanotechnology will also play an important role in therapeutics. Two areas where
nanotechnology is expected to make an impact are synthesis of improved
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drugs using principles of nanotechnology, and targeted drug delivery.

Specifically, a certain family of molecules known as dendrimers (these are
repeatedly branched molecules) are considered as candidates for effective
delivery of drugs. These large polymers have a pouch-like configuration at their
centers which can be used to host drugs inside the molecules that carry
them to their destination.
 At present, diagnostics and therapeutics are largely based on statistical data
gathered from the general population. How about individualized medicine, based
on one's own genetic makeup? Unambiguous diagnostics and reduced side
effects from drugs could be two major benefits. This direction would require a
simple, reliable and rapid technique to identify, store and deliver one's genetic
makeup for medical purposes.*
 Individuals who need artificial parts in their body - legs, limbs, ligaments or
organs - can expect more reliable and rejection-proof substitutes using
nanomaterials, better composites using nanotubes, nanoparticles, and other
nanomaterials with desirable mechanical properties. Some of the desirable
properties include better response to electrical and other forces. These would
contribute to the development of reliable, durable artificial components.
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5.2 Nanotechnolgy in Fabrics

How can nanotechnology improve fabrics?

Making composite fabric with nano-sized particles or fibers allows improvement of

fabric properties without a significant increase in weight, thickness, or stiffness as
might have been the case with previously-used techniques. For example
incorporating nano-whiskers into fabric used to make pants produces a lightweight
water and stain repellent material.

Fabrics: Current Nanotechnology Applications

 Nanowhiskers that cause water to bead up, making the fabric water and stain
resistant.

 Silver nanoparticles in fabric that kills bacteria making clothing odor- resistant.

 Nanopores providing superior insulation for shoe inserts in cold weather.

 Nanoparticles that provide a "lotus plant" effect for fabric used awnings and
other material left out in the weather, causing dirt to rinse off in the rain.

Fabrics: Nanotechnology Applications under Development

Researchers at NTU Singapore are using nanowires to develope flexible capacitors for
use in fabric.

Battery created by coating a fabric with nanoparticles

Solar cell fabric using Konarka’s Power FiberTM

Clothing protective against hazardous chemicals using an honeycomb of

polyurethane nanofibers.
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Piezoelectric fibers that could allow clothing to generate electricity through normal
motions.

Form fitting clothing made using fabric composed of proteins, this material may
stretch as much as 1500 percent from it's original size.

5.3 Nanotechnology in Information and Communications

Computers and processors use memory to store information and execute operations to
perform desired functions. Each bit of memory holds a binary value, and multiple sets of
bits combine to be interpreted as a particular instruction or piece of information. Digital
devices are becoming progressively more sophisticated and smaller, requiring more
compact components. Different types of memory devices introduced by nanotechnology
are enabling the development of complex devices at an extremely small size.

Nanotechnology has enabled many advances in computer memory, increasing storage

size, reducing power consumption, and increasing speed. These three factors will
enable sophisticated computer controlled devices in the future.
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Nano-RAM (or NRAM) is a random access memory that uses carbon nanotubes to
determine the state of the memory element, comprising an information bit. This memory
is a non-volatile device meaning that its cells maintain their information regardless of
whether or not power is supplied to the system (the carbon nanotubes keep their
mechanical position whether or not power is supplied). NRAM (which is a proprietary
computer memory technology) has been projected to be of very high density and low
cost.

Ferroelectric-RAM or FRAM is a another type of non-volatile memory that takes

advantage of nanotechnological properties. FRAM is similar to traditional integrated
circuit memory, except that the device is fabricated using a layer of ferroelectric polymer
rather than a dielectric substrate. A material that exhibits ferroelectricity consists of
molecules that have an innate electric polarization. Because of the natural polarization
in the ferroelectric material, replacing traditional dielectric with ferroelectric material
enable the FRAM memory cells to consume less power and therefore can be designed
to smaller sizes.

A third type of memory that has been enhanced using nanotechnology is known
as Millipede memory. It was designed to replace magnetic memories such as those
commonly used as hard drives. The Millipede memory uses many tiny imprints in a
polymer strip to record the stored information. To retrieve the memory information, the
Millipede memory uses atomic force sensors that detect the nano-indentations recorded
in the film. The resulting storage capacities are typically up to four times greater than
those available with traditional magnetic memories. The Millipede memory is also non-
volatile, and it is rewritable. In addition to its very high capacity storage, it has been
designed to read and write in a parallel process, making its access times low.
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IBM scientists are using DNA origami to build tiny circuit boards; in this
image, low concentrations of triangular DNA origami are binding to wide lines
on a lithographically patterned surface.
Credit: IBM

5.4 Nanotechnology in Energy and Environmental

Skyrocketing oil prices, concerns about the environment from increasing greenhouse
emissions, and the desire to save the planet from environmental disasters, have
turned wide attention to alternative energy sources and to the need to increase the
energy efficiency of the systems we use today.
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One notable effort involves the incandescent light bulbs used widely in homes and
offices. These bulbs, commercialized in the late 19th century, are being replaced
gradually by devices that provide the same or more visible light for the same level of
electrical energy input. The European Union is in the process of phasing out
incandescent light bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient lighting. If every filament
light bulb in the USA was replaced by a solid state lighting source, the electricity
consumption in the US would be reduced by 10%, also cutting carbon emission by
about 28 million tons a year.

The alternative light sources include fluorescent lamps, high-intensity discharge

lamps, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Nanotechnology innovations are applied
intensively to reduce the cost of producing some of the alternative light bulb designs.

Nanomaterials are beginning to play a prominent role in developing other alternative

energy technologies. Much of the solar cells produced worldwide today rely on bulk
crystalline technology which competes with the computer industry for the silicon raw
material. This is not a desirable situation, since both solar energy and computer
electronics are critical technologies with high demand and expanding volumes.
Alternative research directions include novel nanomaterials such as quantum
dots to increase efficiency; and production of solar cells on flexible substrates (like
plastic, thin metal sheets). Lightweight and high strength composites for wind turbine
blades are being developed using nanocomposites to harness wind energy.

6. Nanotechnology in INDIA : CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

One possible means of bridging the gap between India’s abundant, varied natural
resources and her ever-increasing requirements like clean water, food and rapid, low
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cost diagnostic machinery is the use of nanotechnology, write Arindam Ghosh and
Yamuna Krishnan in the international journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Efforts to promote research in nanotechnology in India began early in the millenium.

The “NanoScience and Technology Initiative” started with a funding of Rs. 60 crores
. In 2007, the government launched a 5 year program called Nano Mission with
wider objectives and larger funding of USD 250 million. The funding spanned
multiple areas like basic research in nanotechnology, human resources
development, infrastructure development and international collaboration. Multiple
institutions like Department on Information Technology, Defence Research and
Development Organisation, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and
Department of Biotechnology provided the funding to researchers, scholars and
projects. National Centers for Nanofabrication and Nanoelectronics were started in
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

The efforts have paid off well. India published over 23000 papers in nanoscience in
the past 5 years. In 2013, India ranked third in the number of papers published,
behind only China and USA. There have been 300 patent applications in the Indian
Patent Office in 2013, ten times that of 2006. Clearly, this points to the success of
Nano Mission initiative.

But there is lot of room for improvement. The amount India spends on
nanotechnology research is still just a fraction of the research spending of countries
like Japan, USA, France and China. The quality of research has shown only a little
improvement from the NSTI phase (till 2006) to the nano mission phase (post 2007).
Only 16 papers from India appeared in the top 1% of the publications in 2011. Also,
the number of patents applied from India to the US patent office contributes to only
0.2% of the total applications.
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Though people look at nanoscience and technology very positively, the number of
students following undergraduate and graduate degrees in the area is low and career
prospects still extremely limited. The number of PhDs awarded in nanoscience and
technology is about 150 per year; a very small number compared to the target of
producing 10,000 PhD students annually over the next decade articulated by the
Ministry of Human Resource Development.

The contribution of the private sector to nanotechnology research has been minimal.
Research from academic institutions has indicated how much impact nanotechnology
can have on needs of Indian market. For example, a team from IIT Madras has used
nanotechnology for arsenic decontamination of water. Another team from IIT Delhi has
come up with a water based self cleaning technology for use in textile industry. It is a
matter of concern that, in spite of such enormous potential, the private sector is not
investing enough in nanoscience research.

Nano technology holds great potential for India and a multi pronged approach will
ensure that this is fully leveraged. Funding should be increased and long term funding
which can accommodate coherent research programs with high-impact outcome is
needed. Various research centers throughout India must work together so that the
collective efforts can lead to better results. A highly equipped central facility should plan
and initiate research activities.

The administrative aspects of new projects shoule be streamlined. Most importantly,

remuneration for people trained in the field should increase, to attract high calibre work
force to join these research facilities.
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The good news is that the Nano Mission has been extended till 2017 as Phase II. Since
nanotechnology is an emerging technology and India has abundant skilled workforce,
India can aim to become a global leader in nanotechnology.

7. Pitfalls of Nanotechnology

 Included in the list of disadvantages of this science and its development is the
possible loss of jobs in the traditional farming and manufacturing industry.

 You will also find that the development of nanotechnology can also bring about
the crash of certain markets due to the lowering of the value of oil and diamonds
due to the possibility of developing alternative sources of energy that are more
efficient and require the use of fossil fuels. This can also mean that since people
can now develop products at the molecular level, diamonds will also lose its
value since it can now be mass produced.

 Atomic weapons can now be more accessible and made to be more powerful
and more destructive. These can also become more accessible with
nanotechnology.

 Since these particles are very small, problems can actually arise from the
inhalation of these minute particles, much like the problems a person gets from
inhaling minute asbestos particles.
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 Presently, nanotechnology is very expensive and developing it can cost you a lot
of money. It is also pretty difficult to manufacture, which is probably why products
made with nanotechnology are more expensive.

8. Latest Research on Nanotechnology

Dengue fever vaccine delivered with nanotechnology targets all four virus
serotypes

The latest in a series of studies led by the Aravinda de Silva Lab at the UNC School of
Medicine shows continued promise in a dengue virus vaccine delivered using
nanoparticle technology.
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Each year, an estimated 25,000 people die from dengue infections and millions more
are infected. Scientists have been trying to create a dengue vaccine for many years,
but creating an effective vaccine is challenging due to the four different serotypes of the
virus. For a person to be fully protected against dengue, they need to be vaccinated
against all four serotypes at once – something current vaccines do not achieve. In their
paper published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Aravinda de Silva, Ph.D.,
professor of microbiology and immunology, and UNC research associate Stefan Metz,
Ph.D., detail how their nanoparticle delivery platform is producing a more balanced
immune response versus other vaccine delivery platforms.

To deliver the vaccine, the de Silva lab is using a nanoparticle platform produced with
PRINT (Particle Replication in Non-wetting Templates) technology, which was
developed by Joseph DeSimone, Ph.D., the Chancellor's Eminent Professor of
Chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill, with an appointment in the department of pharmacology.
Rather than using a killed or attenuated virus to develop a vaccine for dengue,
researchers are focusing on expressing the E protein and attaching it
to nanoparticles to induce good immune responses. In previous studies of monovalent
vaccines, they have shown that the platform can induce protective immune response in
individual serotypes. Their latest study of a tetravalent vaccine shows the response in
all four serotypes at the same time.

"We are also seeing a more balanced immune response for each of the serotypes,
which means the quality of neutralizing antibodies created is leading to a better overall
protective reaction for the patient," said Metz, the paper's lead author.

The de Silva lab performed the experiments on their Dengue vaccine in close
collaboration with co-author Shaomin Tian, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the
department of microbiology and immunology. The proteins used in the experiments
were produced by the UNC Protein Expression and Purification (PEP) core.
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The de Silva lab's next steps include optimizing the technique they use to attach the E
protein to the nanoparticle. This work will be extremely important when trying to create a
vaccine that induces consistently strong protective immune responses.

9. Refernces

1. http://science.howstuffworks.com/nanotechnology3.htm

2. http://crnano.org/whatis.htm

3. http://www.wifinotes.com/nanotechnology/introduction-to- nanotechnology.html

4. www.nafenindia.com/Final_Report_Nano_OK.pd

5. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100531082857.ht m