Karen A. Beitler
The new frontier in science is looking at carbon, and other elements' structure at the Nano level because at this level matter behaves differently. A nanoparticle (or nanopowder, nanocluster, nanocrystal) is a microscopic particle with at least one dimension less than 100 nanometers. Nanocomposites are also being experimented with as ways to separate molecules. These composites would help us clean water, soil and even air. Other uses of nanocomposite particles have been suggested for lowering the cost in such processes as the desalination of seawater and fossil fuel production, providing a way to neutralize air pollutants, provide artificial skin for burn victims or deliver medication directly to a specific site within a body. Nanocomposite membranes are a green technology that offers energy-efficiency and a lower cost. This technology hasn't been perfected yet. For example, as a composite is able to become more selective in its ability to filter out specifically the porosity of the filter decreases. Scientists continue to work to produce different types of Nanocomposites to perfect the cleaning of water and air, and are discovering many more way these particles can be of use to mankind and the earth.
The scientific community, in post-DDT times, is looking at possible risks of nanoparticles before their use becomes widely available. DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is an insecticide that was widely used to control "pests" prior to the environmental movement of the 1960's. This pesticide is a white crystalline solid, which is odorless and very effective at controlling insects, especially the mosquito. In the 1960's Rachel Carson's book
Silent Spring
called the nation's attention to the harm widespread spraying of DDT was having on ecosystems and humans. The controversy was due to the effectiveness DDT had at killing insect populations, which helped reduce the spread of disease, and the long term affects of this chemical on living things. Today's caution is due to past introduction of a seemingly 'nonpolluting' method to address a specific issue, that a few years later became a large concern due to biological uptake. Nano scientists are looking at how to introduce nanoparticles and their implications in the biological, as well as physical world, as well as a how they might move throughout an ecosystem. Learning the ultimate impact in terms of potential aggregation in the future would ensure that we are not just making a larger problem. This science is new, has millions of applications and shows promise for helping clean up the mess we have made with fossil fuels. While there is more research to be done nanoparticles are fast making their way into our world as the future of everything from curing blood disease to filtering microparticle pollution from our air. Nanoparticles have been shown to carry drugs to specific sites in human systems, control cell growth, absorption, location, create a transistor, deliver chemotherapy drugs, clean up tetrachloride pollution, increase battery power, provide a barrier to gases and moisture and UV light. They have also been used to strengthen fibers, kill bacteria, clean water, and fight infection as well as destroy cancer cells without harm to healthy cells. Since the properties change when particles get down to the "nano-size" a nano tube can be very flexible yet 100 times stronger than steel and be a great conductor of electricity. Currently nanoparticles have found use in skin car products reflecting sunlight, tennis balls lasting longer, wrinkle and stain resistant fabrics, healthcare and technology. Most nanoparticles are made by produced by natural phenomena, cooking, internal combustion and industrial and domestic endeavors, unintentionally release nanoparticles. Recently, nanoparticles have been engineered and are fast becoming components of products and of technology. Environmental uses are also being researched, there may soon be a solar 'paint" that suddenly makes solar energy a cheap alternative fuel. Universities throughout the country are beginning to offer courses in Materials Science that help students utilize nano characterization tools and introduce students to high tech imaging and research into this new and exciting field. There is much promise in continued research into Nano particles and their use to help undo some of the harm cause by the use of fossil fuels.
Humans dug deep into the earth to bring fossil fuel to the surface to bring energy and comfort to our complicated new lifestyles. Scientists continue to explore ways to provide energy to the growing number of people that inhabit the earth. It may be that nanotechnology will introduce ways to clean up the pollution in the environment that overuse of polymers has caused. We may not be able to recover the ecosystems that have been destroyed by our waste but at least now there is promise of a technology that works on nature's microscopic scale, and we are cautious, having learned, hopefully, from our mistakes of the past. Perhaps we will be able to live with this wondrous blue planet instead of on it. The hope of Nano is to return, recycle, restore and live and work with nature so that a harmony exists for all.