Man and the Environment Presented by: Ang Kai En Faith Teo Hu Yang Huang Jia Can

Overview Introduction History Current Development Impacts Examples Implications Conclusion

Introduction —Nanotechnology is defined as the study and use of structures between 1 nanometer and 100 nanometers in size in at least one dimension. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or about ten atoms

History 1980 Nanotechnology began as a field Scanning Tunneling Microscope was invented (and the creators got Nobel prizes in physics). These microscopes can 'see' objects the size of an atom, with a lateral and depth resolution of 0.1 nanometers

History 1985 Fullerenes were discovered. This led to several practical implications Nanotechnology gained much more attention, publicly and scientifically Present Nanotechnology became much more precise, with the emergence of nanotechnological products on the market

Impacts of Nanotechnology Positive Allows for clean ways to produce energy Allows for eco-friendly fuel e.g. hydrogen- powered fuel cells Allows for electronic devices to be smaller and more efficient Nanoporous materials can be used for water- filtration and liquid separation

Impacts of Nanotechnology (contd.) Negative In differents parts of the particle's life cycle, the particle acts differently, which we do not know clearly. That may be a threat to humans and the environment eg. radiation In their free form, nanoparticles has the potential to cause bioaccumulation in plants and fungi

Impacts of Nanotechnology (contd.) Negative In their fixed form, they have to be disposed, increasing the amount of trash As with all fields of Science, Nanotechnology can be exploited or used destructively, for example weapons or a deadly virus.

Current Development DNA Nanotechnology Smaller Electronic Circuits Trojan horse-like structures to improve drug delivery to cancerous cells Electrically conductive gold nanowires Graphene (stronger than diamond) - videovideo

Current Development Programmable molecular robots (Nano Cars) Single molecule sensors and switches

Examples of products made from nanotechnology Cerax Nanowax One of the first products made by nanotechnology Used on base of skis and skateboards

Examples of products made from nanotechnology contd. Nano-Tex Nano-Tex researchers attached molecular structures to cotton fibres, resulting in a barrier that causes liquids to bead up and prevents absorption. It only requires a thin application and lasts longer than conventional waxes. Treated threads repel stains like coffee and are also wrinkle and crease resistant.

Examples of products made from nanotechnology contd. Sunglasses Nanofilm has been producing protective and anti-reflective polymer coatings for sunglasses. This improves the lens' responsiveness to different light intensities and also repels grime and skin oils

Implications Helps man create new materials with two or more other materials Helps improve a material's CostDurabilityOxidability BuoyancyElectrical ConductivityHeat Conductivity Strength Hardness Density Weight Waterproof Boiling / Melting Point Flexibility Transparency Friction

References forbes.com wikipedia.org google.com docs.google.com All other websites that have helped us in some way or another.

The End Thank You for Your Attention!