Ashwin Hary
Edward 1
APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
April 27th 2010 12:06
APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
Over the past few decades, the fields of [[science]] and [[engineering]] have been seeking to develop new and improved types of [[energy]] technologies that have the capability of improving life all over the world. In order to make the next leap forward from the current generation of [[technology]], scientists and engineers have been developing '''Energy Applications of Nanotechnology'''. [[Nanotechnology]], a new field in science, is any technology that contains components smaller than 100 [[nanometer]]s. For scale, a single [[virus]] particle is about 100 nanometers in width.
An important subfield of nanotechnology related to energy is [[nanofabrication]]. Nanofabrication is the process of designing and creating devices on the nanoscale. Creating devices smaller than 100 nanometers opens many doors for the development of new ways to capture, store, and transfer energy. The inherent level of control that nanofabrication could give scientists and engineers would be critical in providing the capability of solving many of the problems that the world is facing today related to the current generation of energy technologies.
People in the fields of science and engineering have already begun developing ways of utilizing nanotechnology for the development of [[consumer]] products. Benefits already observed from the design of these products are an increased efficiency of [[lighting]] and [[heating]], increased electrical storage capacity, and a decrease in the amount of [[pollution]] from the use of energy. Benefits such as these make the investment of [[capital (economics)|capital]] in the [[research and development]] of nanotechnology a top priority.
== Consumer products ==
Recently, previously established and entirely new companies such as BetaBatt, Inc. and Oxane Materials are focusing on nanomaterials as a way to develop and improve upon older methods for the capture, transfer, and storage of energy for the development of consumer products.
ConsERV, a product developed by the Dais Analytic Corporation, uses nanoscale [[polymer]] membranes to increase the efficiency of heating and cooling systems and has already proven to be a lucrative design. The polymer membrane was specifically configured for this application by selectively engineering the size of the pores in the membrane to prevent air from passing, while allowing moisture to pass through the membrane. Polymer membranes can be designed to selectively allow particles of one size and shape to pass through while preventing others of different dimensions. This makes for a powerful tool that can be used in consumer products from [[biological weapon]]s protection to industrial chemical separations.
A New York based company called Applied NanoWorks, Inc. has been developing a consumer product that utilizes LED technology to generate light. [[Light-emitting diode]]s or LEDs, use only about 10% of the energy that a typical [[incandescent light bulb|incandescent]] or [[fluorescent light bulb]] use and typically lasts much longer, which makes them a viable alternative to traditional light bulbs. While LEDs have been around for decades, this company and others like it have been developing a special variant of LED called the white LED. White LEDs consist of semi-conducting organic layers that are only about 100 nanometers in distance from each other and are placed between two electrodes, which create an [[anode]], and a [[cathode]]. When [[voltage]] is applied to the system, light is generated when electricity passes through the two organic layers. This is called [[electroluminescence]]. The [[semiconductor]] properties of the organic layers are what allow for the minimal amount of energy necessary to generate light. In traditional [[light bulbs]], a metal filament is used to generate light when electricity is run through the filament. Using metal generates a great deal of heat and therefore lowers efficiency.
<!--[[Image:whiteled.jpg]]-->
Research for longer lasting [[battery (electrical)|batteries]] has been an ongoing process for years. Researchers have now begun to utilize nanotechnology for battery technology. mPhase Technologies in conglomeration with [[Rutgers University]] and [[Bell Laboratories]] have utilized nanomaterials to alter the wetting behavior of the surface where the liquid in the battery lies to spread the liquid droplets over a greater area on the surface and therefore have greater control over the movement of the droplets. This gives more control to the designer of the battery. This control prevents reactions in the battery by separating the electrolytic liquid from the [[anode]] and the [[cathode]] when the battery is not in use and joining them when the battery is in need of use.
Thermal applications also are a future applications of nanothechonlogy creating low cost system of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, changing molecular structure for better management of temperature
== Economic benefits ==
The relatively recent shift toward using nanotechnology with respect to the capture, transfer, and storage of energy has and will continue to have many positive economic impacts on society. The control of materials that nanotechnology offers to scientists and engineers of consumer products is one of the most important aspects of nanotechnology. This allows for an improved efficiency of products across the board.
Over the past few decades, the fields of [[science]] and [[engineering]] have been seeking to develop new and improved types of [[energy]] technologies that have the capability of improving life all over the world. In order to make the next leap forward from the current generation of [[technology]], scientists and engineers have been developing '''Energy Applications of Nanotechnology'''. [[Nanotechnology]], a new field in science, is any technology that contains components smaller than 100 [[nanometer]]s. For scale, a single [[virus]] particle is about 100 nanometers in width.
An important subfield of nanotechnology related to energy is [[nanofabrication]]. Nanofabrication is the process of designing and creating devices on the nanoscale. Creating devices smaller than 100 nanometers opens many doors for the development of new ways to capture, store, and transfer energy. The inherent level of control that nanofabrication could give scientists and engineers would be critical in providing the capability of solving many of the problems that the world is facing today related to the current generation of energy technologies.
People in the fields of science and engineering have already begun developing ways of utilizing nanotechnology for the development of [[consumer]] products. Benefits already observed from the design of these products are an increased efficiency of [[lighting]] and [[heating]], increased electrical storage capacity, and a decrease in the amount of [[pollution]] from the use of energy. Benefits such as these make the investment of [[capital (economics)|capital]] in the [[research and development]] of nanotechnology a top priority.
== Consumer products ==
ConsERV, a product developed by the Dais Analytic Corporation, uses nanoscale [[polymer]] membranes to increase the efficiency of heating and cooling systems and has already proven to be a lucrative design. The polymer membrane was specifically configured for this application by selectively engineering the size of the pores in the membrane to prevent air from passing, while allowing moisture to pass through the membrane. Polymer membranes can be designed to selectively allow particles of one size and shape to pass through while preventing others of different dimensions. This makes for a powerful tool that can be used in consumer products from [[biological weapon]]s protection to industrial chemical separations.
A New York based company called Applied NanoWorks, Inc. has been developing a consumer product that utilizes LED technology to generate light. [[Light-emitting diode]]s or LEDs, use only about 10% of the energy that a typical [[incandescent light bulb|incandescent]] or [[fluorescent light bulb]] use and typically lasts much longer, which makes them a viable alternative to traditional light bulbs. While LEDs have been around for decades, this company and others like it have been developing a special variant of LED called the white LED. White LEDs consist of semi-conducting organic layers that are only about 100 nanometers in distance from each other and are placed between two electrodes, which create an [[anode]], and a [[cathode]]. When [[voltage]] is applied to the system, light is generated when electricity passes through the two organic layers. This is called [[electroluminescence]]. The [[semiconductor]] properties of the organic layers are what allow for the minimal amount of energy necessary to generate light. In traditional [[light bulbs]], a metal filament is used to generate light when electricity is run through the filament. Using metal generates a great deal of heat and therefore lowers efficiency.
<!--[[Image:whiteled.jpg]]-->
Research for longer lasting [[battery (electrical)|batteries]] has been an ongoing process for years. Researchers have now begun to utilize nanotechnology for battery technology. mPhase Technologies in conglomeration with [[Rutgers University]] and [[Bell Laboratories]] have utilized nanomaterials to alter the wetting behavior of the surface where the liquid in the battery lies to spread the liquid droplets over a greater area on the surface and therefore have greater control over the movement of the droplets. This gives more control to the designer of the battery. This control prevents reactions in the battery by separating the electrolytic liquid from the [[anode]] and the [[cathode]] when the battery is not in use and joining them when the battery is in need of use.
Thermal applications also are a future applications of nanothechonlogy creating low cost system of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, changing molecular structure for better management of temperature
== Economic benefits ==
The relatively recent shift toward using nanotechnology with respect to the capture, transfer, and storage of energy has and will continue to have many positive economic impacts on society. The control of materials that nanotechnology offers to scientists and engineers of consumer products is one of the most important aspects of nanotechnology. This allows for an improved efficiency of products across the board.
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