Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Committee Introduction
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Welcome to the Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Committee Website. Please follow the links below to navigate this committee's pages, or return to the MST Division's pages by using the links on the left. |
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Welcome to the web pages of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Group. The Group was founded in 2003 by Professor George Smith of Oxford University Materials Science Department, with the objective of promoting and forwarding the activities of the UK Materials Science community in these exciting new fields of research and exploitation. Nanotechnology has received a great deal of attention over the last few years because of the potential it has for creating new, exploitable effects and phenomena. There have been many attempts to define nanotechnology. One of the best definitions was put forward by the Working Group set-up by the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering. The group distinguished between nanoscience, which is the study of phenomena at the very small scale, and nanotechnology, which implies an aim to achieve an end that is in some way useful: Nanoscience is the study of phenomena and manipulation of materials at atomic, molecular and macromolecular scales, where properties differ significantly from those at larger scale. Nanotechnologies are the design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at nanometre scale. Lots of interesting effects come into play when one starts to look at matter at very fine dimensional scales. These include high chemical reactivity, increased mechanical strength and quantum phenomena. These have led to a diverse range of applications in electronics photonics, in the development of new strong materials and in biomedicine. It is amazing to think that the current generation of advanced silicon chips in consumer electronic products have minimum line widths of only 65nm, and 45nm will go into production in 2007. The breadth of nanotechnology has led to some criticism that it is “all things to all men”, and therefore cannot be called a subject at all. However, it is this diversity that makes the subject fascinating and is leading to new cross-disciplinary applications, where nanoscale effects in one traditional discipline are being exploited in another. Examples include the use of semiconductor nanoparticles to label biological molecules and the growth of biological species onto structured surfaces, which have been created using techniques developed for the fabrication of silicon chips. The exploitation of materials which have been structured at the nanometre scale (nanomaterials) is a major growth area for nanotechnology. Again one sees enormous diversity in the range of materials and properties being exploited. Examples include nanoparticles of special catalysts being used as fuel additives to improve efficiency in diesel engines, nanoparticles of clays being added to polymers to improve mechanical properties and carbon nanotubes (“buckytubes”) are being used in polymer composites to produce electrical conductivity and in electronic devices and displays. Nanoparticles of semiconductors such as cadmium selenide can be used to give precisely tailored light emission characteristics and molecules of carbon 60 (“buckyballs”) have potential applications that range from new lubricants to superconducting devices. The potential hazards that might be associated with nanotechnology and nanomaterials were studied by the Royal Society / Royal Academy of Engineering Working Group. They concluded that, while there was no immediate cause for concern, that there was insufficient knowledge about the potential risks associated with exposure to nanomaterials. The IOM3 Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Committee is keen to promote the study and acquisition of knowledge in this area. The IoM3 Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Committee have recognized the huge range of strengths in nanomaterials and nanotechnology within UK universities and companies and have been seeking to showcase these through a number of “road-shows” and conferences. The road-shows are organized by universities on a break-even basis, and give an opportunity for the local organizers to show-case local activities in the field. The conferences have been international events, organized on a biennial basis. These have benefited from invited speakers of the highest calibre and have attracted large attendances. I hope you will find these web-pages interesting and a basis from which you might come and join our events. I am sure you will find them both interesting and enjoyable. I look forward to seeing you there. Roger W Whatmore
IOM3 NNC Chairman |
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