The future trends of nanotechnology definitely bring tremendous benefits and potential to the industry, such as nanotechnology in energy, medicine, etc. The future impact of nanotechnology could lead to prosperous growth; it is well-used and can be fundamental in the near future. Nanotechnology 2024 can positively impact life in the sectors of medicine, food, and energy, which could change our lives, making it worthy of a science fiction story.
CEO Insights magazine recently interacted with Harshad Sonawane, CTO, HARDTEN Precision Technologies. He says, “The nanotechnology industry is not like other industries; nanoparticles are considered raw materials. It is a different industry in technology, products, and services. We even have nanoparticles in diamonds. Diamond nanoparticles are used as a coating in any substrate material. We don't have to have individual diamond particles; they can be carbide or steel. With these coatings, we can give cutting tools efficiency. Cutting fluids are very easily contaminated after the machine. When we add some catalysts on the material or nano filters for the cutting fluids, they can be used multiple times. We can use nano-filters to clean contaminated water.”
Unprecedented opportunities for redesigning existing products are emerging. For example, clusters of atoms (nanodots, macromolecules), nanocrystalline structured materials (grain size less than 100 nm), fibers less than 100 nm in diameter (nanotubes and nanotubes), and films less than 100 nm thick provide a good basis for development.
Buckyball (C60) has opened up an excellent field of chemistry and materials science with many exciting applications due to its ability to accept electrons. Carbon nanotubes have shown promising potential in the safe, efficient, and risk-free storage of hydrogen gas in fuel cells, raising the prospect of their wider use and replacement in internal combustion engines. The potential of nanotubes can be further exploited in the oil and gas industry, and the nanotube market is expected to reach $1.35 billion in 2005. Nanotechnology offers countless applications, including new gas, optical, and chemical sensors, energy conversion devices, and biological implants.
Solar Cells
Nanoporous oxide films such as TiO2 are used to improve photovoltaic cell technology. Nanoparticles can be used in very thin layers on conventional metals to absorb incident solar energy. Films formed by sintering nano-sized TiO2 particles (diameter 10-20 nm) combine high surface area, transparency, excellent stability, and good electrical conductivity, making them ideal for photovoltaic applications. Nonporous oxide films are also highly promising materials for photovoltaic applications. Nanotechnology opens up the possibility of producing cheaper and more efficient solar cells.
Nanofibres
Nano-carbon fibers were produced in China and Great Britain. The production of nanofibers offers the potential of using woven reinforcement as bulletproof vests. The future soldier's uniform would feature a soft, woven, ultra-tough fabric with the ability to stiffen when a soldier breaks their legs, protecting them from pollution, poisoning, and enemy hazards.
Nanotechnology offers unlimited possibilities for the production of pressure, chemical, magneto-resistance, and anti-collision automotive sensors of the new generation. Many aerospace and automotive applications are already in use, and additional applications such as anti-corrosion coating, stiffer and harder cutting tools, and medical implants and chips are expected to be developed in the next 5-15 years. Nanostructured materials for nanoelectronic components, ultrafast processors, and nanorobots for body parts are still in their infancy.
The remarkable progress made in the last five years has fueled the hype around nanotechnology, which has been reflected in dramatic public spending in recent years. Total global investment in nanotechnology is currently around €5 billion, of which €2 billion comes from the private sector.
Ultra-Light Materials
Nanotechnology is seen as a key technology for the development of ultralight materials that would lead to energy, fuel, and material savings and give engineers unprecedented control over structure and properties at the subatomic level.
With the future development of diesel oxidant nanocatalysts using Pt and Pd nanosheets, the major environmental killers (smog, pollution, and toxic pesticides) would be eliminated, allowing people to breathe healthy air. Improvements in nanofilters would allow bacteria smaller than 30 nm to be filtered, achieving water purity of 99.97 percent.
"The coming avalanche of nano-age includes replacing existing chips with Superchips, plastic semiconductors, stronger and lighter jet fighters, invisibility clothing for soldiers, super fuel cells, and super batteries."
Corrosion and Corrosion Prevention
Despite advances in understanding the structure of nanomaterials, there is no evidence to show that nanomaterials are more resistant to corrosion than their conventional counterparts. A typical feature of nanomaterials is the defect core structure, which is caused by the incorporation of vacancies, dislocations, grains, or interphase boundaries, changing the density and conductivity in the defect core regions, where 50 percent of the atoms are located. All defects are concentrated at the grain boundary, which is associated with high diffusivity and higher electrical resistance. Solute atoms with low solubility also segregate into boundary regions. In summary, the grain boundary region is highly active in nanomaterials.
Nanograin size, increased diffusivity, and defect concentration would make grain boundaries susceptible to corrosion attack. Increased electrical resistance due to electron scattering would increase corrosion resistance. An increased number of grain boundaries would also lead to the development of more anodic sites for corrosion nucleation. In theory, structural evidence does not provide an optimistic picture of corrosion resistance. There is no clear evidence to show that nanomaterials are more resistant to corrosion than conventional materials. This is in contrast to the corrosion prevention of nanostructured materials, as demonstrated by coating studies. Nanoparticles incorporated into coatings have demonstrated dramatic resistance to substrate corrosion due to their hydrophilic, anti-wear, anti-friction, and self-cleaning properties. Engine components are exposed to a strong environmental stimulus for corrosion. Diesel engines produce sulfuric acid and formic acid as combustion products. Nano zirconium powder has been successfully used to coat engine parts by plasma spraying. Nanocoatings create a lotus effect and properties that prevent corrosion.
Nanomedicine
Nanomedicine is already a thriving field of practice. The term refers to the use of nanoscale materials to diagnose and treat disease. Some researchers define nanomedicine as any medical product using nanomaterials smaller than 1000 nanometers. Others use the term more narrowly to refer to injectable drugs using nanoparticles smaller than 200 nanometers.
Nanotechnology has created vastly improved imaging and diagnostic tools that enable earlier diagnosis, treatment, and therapy. Nanotech is used to improve bone and neural tissue engineering. It is also part of the successful implantation of bionic eyes, kidneys, hearts, and other body parts. Advanced pliable materials such as plastics, ceramics, metals, and graphene are also used for prosthetics in medical applications.