Glossary Nanotubes Cylindrical tubelike molecule consisting of graphite sheets. They are extremely strong materials and have a good thermal conductivity. Carbon nanotubes are extremely thin (their diameter is about 10,000 times smaller than a human hair). A single walled nanotube (SWNT) is composed of one graphite sheet, a concentrical formation of more than one sheet is named multiwalled nanotube (MWNT). |
Glossary Fullerenes General name for a class of molecules based on pure carbon. Because some Fullerenes take a shape similar to a soccer ball or a geodesic dome, it is sometimes referred to as a buckyball after the inventor of the geodesic dome, Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983), for whom the Fullerene is more formally named. Sometimes referred to as Buckminsterfullerenes. |
Glossary Quantum Dot This is a nanoscale object (a diameter of a few tens of nanometres) constructed from metallic or semiconductor material. Quantum dots have unique electrical properties, which can be used for example to store electrons or to transform the colour of light (depending on its size, a quantum dot of the same material will emit (fluoresce) different coloured light). Quantum dots have applications in medical diagnostics, optoelectronics (where light is used to process information) and in energy conversion such as solar cells. They are made from a variety of different compounds, such as cadmium selenide. |
The Future's Bright... Nanotechnology is already in many of the everyday objects around us, but this is only the start. It will allow limitations in many existing technologies to be overcome and thus has the potential to be part of every industry. In the “nanotechnology education tree” you can explore many of these sectors, with examples of how nanotechnology is already having an impact. Listed below are some of the advances that may take a little longer: Health and medicine - with advances in diagnostic technologies, doctors will be able to give patients complete health checks quickly and routinely. If any medication is required this will be tailored specifically to the individual based on their genetic make-up, thus preventing unwanted side-effects. As a result, the health system will become preventative rather than curative. Society and the environment - renewable energy will become the norm. For example solar cells based on quantum dots could be as much as 85% efficient. Wind, wave, and geothermal energy will also be tapped more effectively using new materials and stored or delivered more efficiently through advances in batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. New ambient sensor systems will allow us to monitor our effect on the environment and take immediate action, rather than “waiting to see”. Nanotechnology will also help us clean-up existing pollution and make better use of the resources available to us. New materials - nanomaterials such as quantum dots, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes will have applications in many different sectors because of their new properties. So quantum dots can be used in solar cells, but also in optoelectronics, and as imaging agents in medical diagnostics. Carbon nanotubes can be used in displays, as electronic connectors, as strengthening materials for polymer composites, and even as nanoscale drug dispensors. Fullerenes can be used in cosmetics, as “containers” for the delivery of drugs, in medical diagnostics, and even as nanoscale lubricants. The future of nanotechnology has great potential. However, it also has the potential to change society more than the industrial revolution. It will affect everyone and so should be developed for everyone. All members of society should have a voice in this. |