Potential benefits of nanotechnology
Nanotechnology may prove to be what some experts describe as the new industrial revolution. Already we are seeing the impact of nanotechnology on many everyday objects and in many manufacturing processes. The technology permits the making of more compact, cheaper, more efficient components across the world of commerce and as yet we are only touching the surface of what may be achievable.
Toyota uses nanotechnology to make its car bumpers lighter, stronger and more resistant to dents. The paint with which it sprays its cars probably has nanoparticles to make the paintwork more resistant to scratches. But nanotechnology is about more than making cars more cosmetically efficient. It may prove to be the greatest technology ever devised by man in ways that will improve our standard of living, our environment and our health.
One of the exciting prospects for nanotechnology is the development of nanoparticles with open-ended bonding surfaces. These will act like chemical glues which will attach themselves to specific atoms. These might be used in pollution control, for example, where nanoparticles which attach themselves to oil changing its viscosity could be deployed to clean up massive oil spillages quickly and efficiently. They could be designed so that the new bond would cause clumping, making it easy to remove spilt oil at sea and making it easier to prevent the slick from spreading and breaking up.
The medical world too is looking to nanotechnology for revolutionary new procedures and drugs, or rather a better way to deliver drugs to the patient. One of the biggest problems with many medical procedures and treatments is collateral damage. Even the most routine procedure using key-hole surgery will have some collateral damage in that there will be an entry wound, albeit small, which exposes the patient to an increased risk of infection. Nanotechnology offers the intriguing prospect of being able to introduce self-assembling nanoparticles into the body where they can be programmed to go straight to the area to be operated on and do the work required, all without having to make an incision. Think of it as having miniature robotic surgeons working inside the body.
The bonding properties of nanoparticles could also be used in the battle against infectious diseases. With just a few exceptions, medical research has yet to come up with drugs which are effective in the treatment of viral infections. And while antibiotics continue to be used in the battle against bacterial infections, they are becoming less effective against new bacterial strains which have evolved to be immune to them. They also have the disadvantage of being indiscriminate, wiping out both harmful and beneficial bacteria. Nanotechnology offers the hope of being able to develop nanoparticles that can be built specifically to attach themselves to viruses or harmful bacteria turning them into harmless compounds. Nanoparticles are smaller than cells and there is the possibility of them being able to enter cells and work from within.
Traditional cancer treatments such as radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy will also cause damage to healthy tissue. Experiments are now being carried out on the development of nanoparticles designed to target and destroy only cancerous tissue.
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