High-resolution image of a polymer-silicate nanocomposite. This material has improved thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties and can be used in food and beverage containers, fuel storage tanks for aircraft and automobiles, and in aerospace components. Image courtesy of NASA. Nano-bioengineering of enzymes is aiming to enable conversion of cellulose from wood chips, corn stalks, unfertilized perennial grasses, etc.
Cellulosic nanomaterials have demonstrated potential applications in a wide array of industrial sectors, including electronics, construction, packaging, food, energy, health care, automotive, and defense. Cellulosic nanomaterials are projected to be less expensive than many other nanomaterials and, among other characteristics, tout an impressive strength-to-weight ratio.
Nanostructured ceramic coatings exhibit much greater toughness than conventional wear-resistant coatings for machine parts. Nanotechnology-enabled lubricants and engine oils also significantly reduce wear and tear, which can significantly extend the lifetimes of moving parts in everything from power tools to industrial machinery.
Nanoparticles are used increasingly in catalysis to boost chemical reactions. This reduces the quantity of catalytic materials necessary to produce desired results, saving money and reducing pollutants. Two big applications are in petroleum refining and in automotive catalytic converters. Nano-engineered materials make superior household products such as degreasers and stain removers; environmental sensors, air purifiers, and filters; antibacterial cleansers; and specialized paints and sealing products, such a self-cleaning house paints that resist dirt and marks.
Nanoscale materials are also being incorporated into a variety of personal care products to improve performance. Nanoscale titanium dioxide and zinc oxide have been used for years in sunscreen to provide protection from the sun while appearing invisible on the skin. Electronics and IT Applications Nanotechnology has greatly contributed to major advances in computing and electronics, leading to faster, smaller, and more portable systems that can manage and store larger and larger amounts of information.
These continuously evolving applications include: Transistors, the basic switches that enable all modern computing, have gotten smaller and smaller through nanotechnology. At the turn of the century, a typical transistor was to nanometers in size. The process is powered by a hybrid system consisting of solar cells and a thermal energy collector that draws very little energy.
Licht estimates that if the process was scaled up to cover a physical area less than 10 percent of the size of the Sahara Desert, within a decade it would reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to pre-industrial levels.
The best part is that all of this could happen immediately, if we simply spread the information in an understandable way. Carbon Reuse Turns a Cost into a Benefit. Building Tough 3D Nanomaterials. Frugal Engineering Goes Beyond Cost. ASME Membership 1 year has been added to your cart.
The price of yearly membership depends on a number of factors, so final price will be calculated during checkout. On the Horizon These are just a few of the thousands of ways that nanotechnology impacts society. For Further Discussion. Tags Chemical and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. Related Content. What Color Is Your Hydrogen. Continue Browsing View Cart.
You are now leaving ASME. Go back. Nanotechnology is being used to reduce the cost of catalysts used in fuel cells to produce hydrogen ions from fuel such as methanol and to improve the efficiency of membranes used in fuel cells to separate hydrogen ions from other gases such as oxygen.
Check out our Nanotechnology Applications in Fuel Cells p age for the details. Companies have developed nanotech solar cells that can be manufactured at significantly lower cost than conventional solar cells.
Check out our Nanotechnology Applications in Solar Cells page for the details. Companies are currently developing batteries using nanomaterials. One such battery will be a good as new after sitting on the shelf for decades. Another battery can be recharged significantly faster than conventional batteries. Check our our Nanotechnology Applications in Batteries page for details. Nanotechnology may hold the key to making space-flight more practical. Advancements in nanomaterials make lightweight spacecraft and a cable for the space elevator possible.
By significantly reducing the amount of rocket fuel required, these advances could lower the cost of reaching orbit and traveling in space. Check our Nanotechnology Applications in Space page for details. Fuels Nanotechnology can address the shortage of fossil fuels such as diesel and gasoline by making the production of fuels from low grade raw materials economical, increasing the mileage of engines, and making the production of fuels from normal raw materials more efficient.
Check our Nanotechnology Applications in Fuels page for details. Nanotechnology can improve the performance of catalysts used to transform vapors escaping from cars or industrial plants into harmless gasses. That's because catalysts made from nanoparticles have a greater surface area to interact with the reacting chemicals than catalysts made from larger particles.
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