IN EVERYDAY OBJECTS

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In the near future, nanotechnology will have impacted many items that you encounter in your everyday life. Some of these are already using nanotech today, while others are still being developed. Explore the nanotech in a home of the future by clicking on the arrows to move to other rooms. Click on the coloured objects to view the nanotech involved. Try it with the tennis racquet on the ground!

Sports Racquets/Equipment Nanotech has enhanced sports equipment in a way that helps improve both the performance and safety of athletes. Almost anything from bikes to racquets, fishing rods and archery arrows can, and have, be improved by nanotech. Using nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and silica nanoparticles, equipment can be made lighter, stronger, more durable and have reduced friction. For example, this has been used to increase the power of tennis racquets and the strength of protective gear like shin pads.

Sunscreen Nanotechnology has been increasing sunscreen’s effectiveness for decades. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles retain the capacity to effectively absorb UV-light that they have in bulk form, but also absorb and scatter visible light, leaving them transparent. The nanoparticles are low irritant and allergen materials, feel ‘lighter’ on the skin and are also more stable, requiring less reapplication.

Plants Researchers recently have managed to embed carbon nanotubes in chloroplasts, increasing the plants efficiency in photosynthesis by 30 percent. They have also been able to make plants able to detect nitric oxide, an environmental pollutant, also by using carbon nanotubes. Future applications for ‘plant nanobionics’, as it has been called, include using plants to monitor for things such as pollution, bacterial toxins, even chemical weapons and using the chloroplasts in solar cells. It is possible that plants could even be turned into living electronic devices- for example trees that are also cell phone towers, which are also able to repair themselves if they are damaged.

Food packaging Nanotech is not only able to help keep food fresher for longer, it will also be able to sense the food does go off. A thin coating of metal nanofilm will be impermeable to moisture and gases, but no less flexible. A coating of silver nanoparticles can reduce bacterial growth. In the future, flexible nanoelectronics could also be used to control the environment inside the packaging, keeping each package cool. Colour changing plastics could indicate when the food is going off. Self healing polymers could repair small damages to the packaging.

Water Filtration Graphene, a one atom thick layer of carbon, is able to purify salt water. The holes in it are able to let water molecules fit through, but not salt ions. The current method of desalination, using reverse osmosis, uses a lot of energy as it requires very high pressure to force water through membranes. Clusters of carbon nanotubes can also filter out bacteria. This method is also much cheaper than current processes.

Flexible Electronics Bendable and even foldable surfaces, for example flexible televisions, have been created using nanotechnology. Carbon nanotubes and copper and silver wires could replace indium tin oxide, which is inflexible. Carbon nanotubes can also be used in flexible supercapacitors for a power source. Conductive nanoparticle inks are also used for printing flexible surfaces. Flexible electronics would be used for more than televisions. Imagine being able to carry a single, foldable sheet in place of a laptop or tablet.

Clothing Clothing has been made waterproof, stain proof, odour resistant and can block UV rays by incorporating nanotechnology. Silica nanofilaments can keep clothes waterproof and stain resistant due to their spiky shape. Silver nanoparticles are also anti- microbial, as they release positively charged ions that stop bacterial cells functioning, keeping clothes odour free. By using titanium oxide and zinc oxide, like in sunscreen, fabric can also block UV rays. This allows clothes to remain clean in almost any condition.

Toothpaste Hydroxyapatite, a lattice of calcium, is a key part of tooth enamel. Nanosized crystals of this in tooth pastes protects teeth from damage and can even repair damages to the surface of the tooth. Silver nanoparticle also kill bacteria in the mouth. Titanium oxide is also used as a whitener.

Silicon transistors in computers could be replaced by transistors made of carbon nanotubes, creating smaller and faster components, which would also consume less energy. RAM made from ferroelectric materials would not be erased in the event of a power failure, allowing devices to be made faster and lighter as back up batteries would no longer be required. A number of methods are being developed that would increase the density that data can be stored at. Graphene would also be used in supercapacitors that would be able to store large amounts of energy but also charge incredibly quickly. It would also be very environmentally friendly as graphene is a form of carbon

Cosmetics The cosmetics industry is one of the largest using nanotechnology in their products. ‘Anti-aging’ skin creams use polymer nanocapsules to deliver active ingredients deeper into the skin, increasing their effect. This is the main area in which nanotechnology has been used in this industry Makeup effects have also been enhanced by nanotechnology, creating more vivid colours and iridescence and metallic appearances.