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| What is nanotechnology? The prefix “nano” is derived from the greek word meaning “dwarf”. A nanometre is defined as 1/1,000,000,000th of a metre. For comparison:-
On 29 December 1959, Richard Feynman gave a landmark lecture to the American Physical Society entitled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/feynman.html This lecture introduced the concepts of nanoscience and nanotechnology which have now become reality. The results can be seen all around us in the advances in electronics, healthcare, telecommunications, transport and construction. In a recent report by Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering http://www.nanotec.org.uk/finalReport.htm, Nanoscience is defined as the study of phenomena and manipulation of materials at atomic, molecular and macromolecular scales, where properties differ significantly from those at a larger scale. Nanotechnologies relate to the design, characterisation, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanometre scale. Nanometrology is the area concerned with measurement and characterisation of nanostructures. The Millbrook Group is particularly concerned with the measurement of nanoscale films on surfaces. Since the film is attached to the substrate, the possible health concerns associated with nanoparticles do not apply to such materials. Films of nanoscale thickness can impart very specific properties to influence how the object will interact with its surroundings, but important bulk properties such as the strength of the material are not affected. For example, the surface of a titanium replacement hip joint used to be inert and was simply ignored by the body. Now the surfaces are altered to promote the growth of bone cells on the surface. The implant therefore becomes integrated into the body, giving a much stronger bond to the surrounding bone. This means a greatly extended lifetime for the device. It therefore becomes a sensible option to use the implants not just in the elderly but also in younger people. Films and coatings are becoming progressively thinner and more complex. Knowledge of the surface properties at the nanoscale is therefore increasingly important for researchers to predict and optimise a material’s performance. The techniques are also being used more frequently by engineers in production environments to monitor product quality. Here size and ease of use of the instrumentation are often more important than the ultimate technical performance. |
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