Unit 6, Lesson 5, Ex.4a
What’s nanotechnology?
What’s nanotechnology?
Imagine if you
climbed out of the shower only to discover you'd gone smaller by about 1500
million times! If you stepped into your living room, what you'd see around you
would not be chairs, tables, computers, and your family
but atoms, molecules, and
cells. Down to "nanoscale," you'd not only see the atoms that
everything is made from—you'd actually be able to move them around! Now imagine
you started sticking those atoms together in interesting new ways. You could
build all kinds of fantastic materials, everything from brand new medicines to
computer chips. Making new things on this fantastic small scale is called nanotechnology and it's one of the most exciting and
fast-moving areas of science and technology today.
How
small is nanometer?
We live on a scale of meters
and kilometers, so it's quite hard for us to imagine a world that's too small
to see. Nano means "billionth", so a nanometer is one billionth of a meter.
This
is all very interesting and quite impressive, but what use is it?
This is the work of
nanoscience: it helps us understand why things happen by studying them at the
smallest possible scale. Once we understand nanoscience, we can do some
nanotechnology: we can put the science into action to help solve our problems.
How
do you work on the nanoscale?
Your fingers are millions of
nanometers long, so it's no good trying to pick up atoms and molecules and move
them around with your bare hands. That would be like trying to eat your dinner
with a fork 300 km long! Amazingly, scientists have developed electron
microscopes that allow us to "see" things on the
nanoscale and also work with them.
When
did nanotechnology start?
Engineering on the nano-scale
isn't a new thing. Animals and plants have long been using the nanoparticles
and nanostructures in their shells, skins and wings.
Bacteria and viruses act just
like nanorobots. For example, a common bacteria called E.coli
can build itself a little nanotechnology tail that it whips around like a kind
of propeller to move it closer to food.
Can
we use nanotechnology in our everyday life?
It could be you're already
using nanotechnology. Clothes have just got clever with nanotechnology: the
materials stay clean, warm, strong and dry.
Nanotechnology is big news in
sport. Tennis and golf players, skiers and mountain bikers are already enjoying
the advanced technology with lighter, stronger sports equipment.
The displays on everything
from iPods and cellphones to flatscreen
TVs are made from plastic built on the nanoscale.
One of the most exciting areas
of nanotechnology is building incredibly small machines from
individual atoms. Nanomachines could be made into nanorobots (sometimes called
"nanobots") that could be injected into our bodies to carry out
repairs or sent into dangerous environments.
Nanotechnology can be used in
the food industry right from field to table. For example, nanomaterials could
help keep food fresh for longer. Scientists are already manufacturing
nano-sized vitamins that are easier for our bodies to take in. In the future
they hope to create 'interactive' food - food and drink that could change
colour, flavour or ingredients on demand.
That’s unbelievable!
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