What is Nanotechnology and what is it for?

Many of the things that a decade or two ago were nothing more than science fiction dreams are now a reality, and undoubtedly among these things is nanotechnology. Nano is a prefix that refers to a measure of microscopic size, so we must basically understand nanotechnology as that type of technology that manipulates atoms and molecules in a microscopic way.

This type of technology is widely studied today and its potential is incredible, although for now most of its uses are being destined for medicine. Next, we will study the uses of nanotechnology in different areas to better understand how this marvel of modern technology works.

Nanotechnology refers to the manipulation of matter on a scale of 1 to 100 nanometers. A nanometer is a microscopic measurement scale that represents 10-9 or 0.000 000 001.

Working at this scale requires the use of quantum mechanics, so in addition to the manipulation of matter on a microscopic scale, nanotechnology also studies the changes that matter undergoes under these conditions and scale. Its uses span many areas, such as medicine and robotics.

Types of nanotechnology and their functions

There are mainly six types of nanotechnology and they are divided by the way they work and the field in which they work. These are:

• Top-Down Nanotechnology: this is the most widely used and works by reducing the size of matter or structures from largest to smallest. The main area of ​​this form of nanotechnology is in electronics, where it is increasingly common to reduce structures to nanometric sizes.

• Buttom-Up Nanotechnology: this works in the opposite way to the previous one. It begins with a microscopic structure, like a molecule, and through different processes the structure is created to a larger size. In this way you can manipulate the matter in a better way, eliminating the limits that exist in terms of size.

• Wet Nanotechnology – As the name implies, it is used in wet or aqueous environments. The main uses are to work with genetic material, enzymes, and other molecular components present in living organisms.

• Dry Nanotechnology: used to manipulate non-living nanometric matter, such as coal, metals, and so on. His most frequent area is electronics.
• Wet and dry nanotechnology: there are also cases where both methods must be used because the environment of the molecule requires it. One of the biggest uses of this type is to manipulate strands of DNA.

Nanotechnology Applications

Due to the versatility that nanotechnology can be given, there are many areas in which it can be applied. Unbelievably, we could be using nanotechnology in just about anything. This science can be applied in medicine, in the food, energy and textile industries, to improve the environment, in construction, agriculture and livestock, cosmetics, electronics and in the field of telecommunications.

The more nanotechnology is studied, the more uses and applications are found for it in various areas. In the coming years we will be seeing more and more the uses of this science in everyday life.

Nanotechnology in medicine

Nanotechnology has marked an important before and after in how diseases are treated. Thanks to the dimensions and scale of work of nanotechnology, the molecule that is causing problems can be directly attacked or modified. Thus, this science can be used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and much more.

The use of nanometric technology in medicine has sparked a debate around the world. Many are of the opinion that it should be used to genetically modify the zygote so that ‘disease-free’ humans begin to be born; starting with eliminating the genetic traces of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, etc. But this might not be entirely beneficial, as it would lead to many moral and social problems.

Nanotechnology in robotics

As we have mentioned, nanotechnology is also used to manipulate molecules and non-living nanometric matter, and this is where its uses are applied to robotics. Robotics is another branch of technology, and combined with nanotechnology its main use is to design nanobots that facilitate human life in different ways.

These nanobots are designed on incredibly small scales, usually around 50 nanometers, which is about the size of 5 layers of molecules. And its uses are applicable in other areas, mainly in medicine, although we are seeing more and more closely the use of nanobots in computing, construction, in the food industry and much more.

Nanotechnology in agriculture

We already know that nanotechnology is widely used in organic materials, and that is also the case in agriculture. Food production is very important because it is the livelihood of millions of people, but it is also an industry that has many losses due to pests, plant diseases, poor soil, etc. This is where nanotechnology comes in.

This technology can modify the state of the food that is being grown, helping to prevent pests, avoiding diseases and making them more resistant to climatic changes. In addition, it is also very useful to improve pesticides and they are more effective, without being very toxic at the same time. You can modify the components of the latter to avoid damaging the floors and to keep them in good condition.

However, the use of this technology in the food industry has brought with it a great scientific debate, since many consider that this invasion puts the integrity of the food at risk and can have consequences for the human body. Even so, other specialists assure that these changes do not present significant health risks.

Advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology

Throughout this article we have seen various advantages of nanotechnology in its different areas of use, these are other specific advantages:

• Water purification and improvement treatments. This would be excellent for treating polluted water and bringing clean water to communities.

• Organ repair, regeneration and transplants with lower risks and less recovery time.

• Control and diagnosis of diseases such as HIV, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

• Creation of clean electrical energy, production and improvement of energy.

• Treatment and improvement of plants in agriculture.

However, there are also some disadvantages of using nanotechnology in its different areas. These are, among others:

• Nanotechnology prices would be extremely high, causing an economic imbalance.

• Its development could allow terrorists or organized criminals to use it for dangerous purposes.

• Although its use in the environment represents an advantage, it could also be a great disadvantage. Nanobots could affect the natural cycle destroying large hectares of land.

• Due to these disadvantages, they could outlaw nanotechnology or establish rigid controls for its use.
• Likewise, the latter could generate a black market for nanotechnology.

Depending on how nanotechnology is used it can be very beneficial to humanity or the very downfall of it. That is why there are currently so many dilemmas and discussions about it. However, so far we have only seen the advantages of its uses.