Nano is derived from drawf in Greek Nano is a
prefix meaning 10-9. (1 nano-meter =
10-9 meter.) For example, 1
nanometer is approximately 100,000 times thinner than a human
hair.
Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing science of producing and
utilizing nano-sized particles that measure in nanometers (1 nm = 1 billionth of
a metre).
The term nanoparticle is generally used to indicate particles with
dimensions less than 100 nanometers (one nanometer is one billionth of a meter).
For comparison, a human hair is about 100,000 nm in diameter, while a smoke
particle is about 1,000 nm in diameter.
The smallest nanoparticles, only a few
nanometers in diameter, contain only a few thousand atoms. These particles,
called quantum dots, can possess properties that are entirely different from
their parent materials.
Nanoparticles offer radical
breakthroughs in areas such as materials and manufacturing, electronics,
medicine and healthcare, environment and energy, chemical and pharmaceutical,
biotechnology and agriculture, computation and information technology, and
national security. In fact, the Federal Government has increased its annual
budget for nanotechnology research to $650 million for 2003.
NANO technology is the technology to produce nano size
particles of certain materials for daily application. In the recent years, many
materials have been produced with the nano-technology, and Silver-Titanium
Dioxide is one of the leading edge of the disinfections industry.
Nano Silver not only can kill 99.9% bacteria, fungi &
virus, but also give a very long time (6 months to 5 years) disinfections
effect.
In general, the properties
(electrical, optical, chemical, mechanical, magnetic, etc.) of nanoparticles can
be selectively controlled by engineering the size, morphology, and composition
of the particles. After developing materials in this near-atomic size range,
engineers can combine and exploit the properties of the nanoparticle surface
atoms to create new substances with enhanced or entirely different properties
from their parent materials.
Nanoparticles can make metals stronger and
harder, give ceramics enhanced ductility and formability, enable normally
insulating materials to conduct heat or electricity, and make protective
coatings transparent. In short, nanoparticles allow industries to re-engineer
many existing products and design novel new products/processes that function at
unprecedented levels.
