Applications
Well, if you've been
reading through the series so far then you'll be happy to read that we have now
reached the much-anticipated applications section. Of course you might have just skipped
straight here but that's okay with me.
So far we've covered
some 30 topics that should have provided you with the background leading up to
our discussion on applications. You'll
finally see how all of the sciences, synthesis, tools, and structures come
together to make nanotechnology work. I've
reserved a majority of the discussion for medical and electronics goods. These are the two major areas where I see
the most promise for the future.
Simply put, the
realm of new materials and coatings is exciting, but does not take full advantage
of the possibilities. I'll only cover
one topic on this.
In medicine,
nanotechnology will mix with biotechnology well because they operate on similar
scales. Since many things in biology
are on the microscopic scale, having things on the nanoscale within the body
will mean better distribution of medical drugs, new protein engineering
techniques, and the possibility of nanorobots that could repair your body from
the inside out.
Electronics is
currently the biggest focus in nanotechnology research. It's well known that modern semiconductor
processes are approaching their fundamental limits. Demand for consumer electronics won't cease any time soon, so
there is a definite need for new methods of miniaturization. The crazy thing about nanoelectronics is
that they offer an entire order of magnitude increase in component density if
we can ever truly build integrated devices out of quantum dots and nanowires.
The state of our
current nanotechnology remains in its infancy.
Most of the serious research was conducted after the year 2000, though
many fundamental experiments were done in the 1990's. As more money pours into the nanotechnology research sector, you
can expect a corresponding increase in our ability to control things on the
nanoscale. Really, it's only a matter
of time before a major breakthrough will allow for all the things researchers
have only dreamed about.
Like the invention
of the solid-state transistor in the mid 20th century, our early
experiments in the beginning of the 21st century will inevitably
lead to great things and a new revolution in state-of-the-art technology.
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