What is nanotechnology and what applications can it have?

Many of you will have heard of nanoscience and nanotechnology. These fields of knowledge are of special interest today, and much projection in the advances of the future.

Nanotechnology refers to a concept of science applied at the molecular and atomic level, that is, to the basic part of matter. In this article we will explain what exactly nanotechnology is, what applications it has and where you can do this type of study.

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What is nanotechnology?

More and more is known about nanotechnology, and today this discipline is on the rise, offering university studies in more and more universities. Nanotechnology is the branch of technology that studies the design and manipulation of matter at the level of its atoms and molecules., for medical or industrial purposes, among others.

Its scale is the nanometer, which is equal to 10 raised to minus nine times the meter. This means that 1,000,000,000 nanometers is 1 meter. The idea is to make products on a microscale.

Differences between nanoscience and nanotechnology

The concepts of nanoscience and nanotechnology generally come hand in hand. Nanoscience has the same definition as nanotechnology, in terms of molecular level.

However, when we speak of nanoscience, we refer to the study of physical, chemical and biological phenomena. Its application is usually more related to more medical or health fields, but it can also be applied to more industrial fields.

A little history

Nanotechnology is a branch of science that was first established in the late 1960s. That year, Richard Feynman - American theoretical physicist - was the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Richard Feynman described and developed a set of mathematical expressions that were intended to explain the behavior of subatomic particles.

These expressions later became known as Feynman diagrams.

Richard Feynman was the first to discuss the possibilities of nanoscience and nanotechnology in a presentation at Caltech (California Institute of Technology) in 1959, in which he described the possibility of synthesizing matter, directly manipulating the atoms.

What applications can nanotechnology have?

There are different applications of nanotechnology. As we have already mentioned, nanotechnology is on the rise and is increasingly being studied in research groups.

In this section We do a review of the current applications.

1. Nanotechnology: medical applications

The medical applications of nanotechnology are widely interesting. One of its biomedical applications is the administration of drugs. Nanotechnology is used in this field as a drug delivery system, that is, the release of the substance with therapeutic activity.

The idea is to use nanoparticles that act as a vehicle, that is, a transporter, for the drug. This is used when drugs do not have adequate physicochemical properties to reach their therapeutic target.

Then this is solved with the application of nanotechnology, using nanosystems, for example bioconjugates, which are ligands that bind to drugs, and separate from them when the site of the drug is reached desired body.

This application has a special interest in cancer therapies, since it is known that currently these tend to have low specificity (e.g. chemotherapy) leading to many effects adverse. For this reason, nanosystems are used, which improve the direct delivery of the anticancer drug to the tumor site.

2. Nanotechnology: food applications

Nanotechnologies are also used to create devices (nanosensors and nanochips) that function as an electronic nose and tongue, and thus analyze aspects related to smell and taste. They are therefore used within the food industry.

On the other hand, they are also used to detect the freshness of a food, pathogens, drugs, additives, heavy metals, toxins, pollutants, etc.

On the other hand, nanotechnology is also used for the development and creation of nano-packaging that protect the food, giving it specific characteristics (better taste, quality, smell, texture…).

3. Nanotechnology: industrial applications

In the industrial field it has various applications: for example, in the textile industry. Nanotechnology is used to develop smart fabrics: to repel stains, to be self-cleaning, to avoid unpleasant odors or even to change the color and temperature of the tissues.

Another application is in agriculture. The idea is to design products with better pesticide, herbicide and fertilizer properties. The main purpose is the improvement of soils. There is also the use of nanotechnology for the use of so-called “nanosensors”, for the detection of substances such as water, nitrogen, etc.

In livestock, nanotechnology is used to develop nanoparticles to deliver drugs or vaccines to animals. animals, as well as the named nanosensors, in this case used to detect microorganisms, diseases and / or substances toxic.

In the field of cosmetics, nanotechnology is used for the design and development of cosmetic creams, with anti-wrinkle properties or for example sun creams with nanoparticles that improve protection against Sun.

Where to study nanotechnology?

As we have already commented, Nanotechnology is a branch of science that has more and more weight and value in the scientific community and consequently in society. For this reason, more and more universities are offering nanotechnology (and nanoscience) studies.

The degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology is taught only at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), since 2009. Soon, the Universidad da Coruña (UDC) will offer this degree.

In the rest of Spain, you can study master's degrees related to nanotechnology: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Master in Advanced Materials, Nanotechnology and Photonics), Rovira i Virgili University (Master in Nanoscience, Materials and Processes: Technology Frontera Chemistry), and in different universities you can take the Interuniversity Master in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Molecular.

The future of this discipline

As you have already seen, there are several applications of nanotechnology (and nanoscience). Its applications range from making life more comfortable and practical, to aspects more related to improving quality of life and health.

There is no doubt then that your knowledge is part of new tools and options for the future.

Bibliographic references

• Jr. Poole, Charles P, Owens, Frank J. Owens and Cao Vázquez, Roberto. (2007). Introduction to Nanotechnology. Editorial Reverte, Spain. 1st Edition.

• Kaku, Michio, García Garmilla, Mercedes. (2017). The Physics of the Future: How Science Will Determine the Fate of Humanity and Our Daily Life in the Twenty-Second Century. Editorial Debolsillo, Spain. 1st Edition.

• Takeuchi, Naboru. (2010). Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: Building a better world atom by atom. Editorial Fund for economic culture. Spain.