Uses in consumer products Nanoparticles are now being used in the manufacture of scratchproof eyeglasses, crack- resistant paints, anti-graffiti coatings for walls, transparent sunscreens, stain-repellent fabrics, self-cleaning windows and ceramic coatings for solar cells. Nanoparticles can contribute to stronger, lighter, cleaner and “smarter” surfaces and systems. At the nanoscale, the properties of particles may change in unpredictable ways. Nanoparticles of titanium oxide used in sunscreens, for example, have the same chemical composition as the larger white titanium oxide particles used in conventional products for decades, but nanoscale titanium oxide is transparent. Antimony-tin oxide provides another example since nanoparticles of this oxide is incorporated into a coating to provide scratch- resistance and offer transparent protection from ultra-violet radiation, not seen with larger size particles. Applications in the automotive industry Nanoparticles as fillers in tyres can improve adhesion to the road, reducing the stopping distance in wet conditions. The stiffness of the car body can be improved by use of nanoparticle-strengthened steels. New sol-gel deposition methods make it possible to apply, economically, nanometre thick antireflection layers of silicon dioxide or other materials onto displays or panes. Ultra-thin transparent layers on a silver base can be used for heatable, and therefore mist and ice-free, window panes. Transparent and light materials could substitute car body parts that reduce all-round vision at the moment.
Nanotechnology can be applied in the production, processing, safety and packaging of food. It is possible that nanotechnology will allow the manipulation of the molecular forms of food to provide more capabilities, lower costs and greater sustainability than at present. A nanocomposite coating process should improve food packaging by placing anti-microbial agents directly on the surface of the coated film and could increase or decrease gas permeability as required for different products. They can also improve the mechanical and heat-resistance properties and lower the oxygen transmission rate. It should also be possible to apply nanotechnology to the detection of chemical and biological substances for sensing biochemical changes in foods, extending to the whole food chain in the future.
As reviewed by Salata (2004), nanomaterials are also being used in biology and medicine in a wide variety of ways, including the direct application of products into patients. Examples include products for drug delivery and gene therapy, the separation and purification of biological molecules and cells, fluorescent biological labels, imaging contrast agents, tissue engineering, DNA probes and nanoscale biochips, and microsurgical technology. Practical applications in the field of science and technology In materials science, nanocomposites with nanoscale dispersed phases and nanocrystalline materials in which the fine grainsize affords quite different mechanical properties to conventional microstructures are already in use. In biological sciences, fundamental understanding of molecular motos and molecular functional entities on the nanometer scale has been responsible for advances in drug design and targeting. Nanoscale functionalized entities and devices are in development for analytical instrumental applications in biology and medicine, including tissue engineering and imaging.
The application areas in which these advance advances in nanoscience are making their biggest impact include electronic, electro-optic and optical devices. The transition from semiconductor(conventional and organic) technology to nanoscale devices have projected improved properties and resolution, fluorescence labeling, scanning probe Microscopy and confocal Microscopy. Data storage devices based on nanostructures provide smaller, faster, and lower consumption systems.
In medicine, greater understanding of the origin of disease on the nanometer scale is being derived, and drug delivery through functionalized nanostructures may result in improved pharmacokinetic and targeting properties.
A wide variety of functional nanoscale materials and functional nanoscale surfaces are in use in consumer products, including cosmetics and sunscreens, fibers and textiles, dyes, fillers, paints, emulsions and colloids.
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