Latest Research on Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology – Latest Research

In this article, the latest research that is being undergone in the field of nanotechnology is explained in detail.

Many kinds of researches and approaches are taking place in the field of nanotechnology. Some of the basic approaches are explained below.

Before going to the approaches, the links of some of the main articles related to nanotechnology are given below.  Click on them to know more.

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Bottom-up Approach

The basic idea of the bottom up approach is to design and integrate the smaller building blocks into a complex structure. Mostly this approach is applied in DNA nanotechnology in order to design and assemble highly accurate structures made out of DNA and nucleic acids. For this purpose, the specificity of Watson–Crick base pairing method is used.

Accurate shapes and structures for molecules are also obtained by applying the method in the field of chemical synthesis.

Some of the other methods that are used to make a unique molecule change into useful transforms of its same kind are supramolecular chemistry, and molecular recogntition techniques.

A device called atomic force microscope can be used as a “write head” on nanomaterials for a process called dip pen nanolithography. Through this method, the correct chemical can be easily placed in the desired design. This method is usually used for greater applications of nanolithography.

Top-down Approach

This is the process of creating nano scale materials by assembling them from larger materials.

The technology first started by manufacturing solid-state devices. These techniques were later modified to make microprocessor devices. The very same method is now again modified to be suitable enough for manufacturing nanodevices. Some of the common techniques used are focussed ion-beam technique, atomic force microscope (AFM) and so on.

Nanomaterials

In the case of nanomaterials, its subfields which have unique properties are developed and studied more. Some of the basic subfields are carbon nanotubes, nanorods and fullerenes. All these nanomaterials were developed through colloid science methods. Some of the other fields that are under research are nanoionics, nanomedicine and nanoelectronics. Some of the latest applications include the use of them as miniature solar cells, instead of the traditional silicon based solar cells.

Approach Based on Functions

Devices are manufactured on the basis of their functionality on various applications. Some molecules have certain unique electronic properties and thus they may be used in the field of molecular electronics. A new concept of nanocars have been developed which needs the application of synthetic molecular motors. Such motors can only be developed through synthetic chemical processes.