Super products created by nanotechnology

In the science labs around the world is the revolution of nanotechnology. There people make materials that can radically change our lives.

The naked eye cannot recognize that revolution because new products are not the size of dust, but can be compared to atoms. These are nanoparticles. The application of ideas in the field of nanotechnology first takes place in the material industry.

' Deep ' crystals

One of the ' super products ' in recent years is graphene . It is essentially a two-dimensional carbon crystal, a membrane with a thickness equivalent to that of an atom. Graphene previously existed only in theory, but recently it has become a reality.

German and British scientists have announced the creation of this carbon film. Russian experts at the Institute of Microelectronics Technology and Special Clean Materials also participated in the study with them.

It's hard to imagine graphene being 200,000 times thinner than a human hair . The area most likely to apply this type of membrane is computer technology. This new, durable and electrically conductive material that has virtually no resistance, will replace silicon used in transistors.

Scientists are not skeptical about this material-based basis, they will create ultra-small, fast-acting and low-power devices. In addition, graphene can act as ultra-pure filter plate because it separates very well the gas mixtures from the components. Finally, this magic membrane will be used in electron microscopy techniques to study more convenient protein molecules.

Chemists at Moscow University (MGU), thanks to nanotechnology, have found a way to create miraculous crystals - viscose fibers . These are hollow fibers, super-thin, hundreds of times more durable than other crystals, with excellent flexibility and high corrosion resistance. One can weave cloth from that kind of thread.

'This fiber could become the basis for making fabric electrode materials, used in new generation power supplies - MGU's deputy materials department Evgheni Gudilin said - We have also established the method. allowing the cultivation of viscose fibers on very small nanoparticles. So crystals become like shaggy worms. This material can be used as a catalyst or absorber for heavy metals, used to bury radioactive wastes. Overall visco yarns are very capable '.

Benefits of nanotechnology

According to Mr. Gudilin, thanks to the highly durable carbon nanotubes (20 times stronger than steel, while 10 times lighter) the field of manufacturing composite materials will be the most successful. The highly reliable armor, unbreakable glass, any load-resistant glass - all of which will soon become familiar to us.

An Israeli firm has announced the creation of materials from which to build armor for the future: these are the sulphides of some materials, synthesized as nanoparticles. Tests showed that the models of such armor form, made from tungsten, were able to withstand 350 tons / cm2 and prevent bullets from flying at 1.5 km / sec.

For military aircraft and boats, it is hoped that new types of coatings will be expected, making them ' invisible ' to radar waves. There will also be ' smart ' clothes with unusual properties. For example, the fabric contains silver nanoparticles, capable of healing wounds. People can also make clothes waterproof or clean stains themselves.

Researchers at the Ioffe Institute of Physical Engineering have found a great way to create wires with a diameter of just a few nanometers. To do this they use very thin asbest fibers. This topic is an urgent issue, because for the nanoelectronics industry it is necessary to have separate wires, to connect micro-details to each other.

Also at the Institute, latex-based ' paint ' was created and carbon nanofibers were able to absorb high-frequency radiation. It may be a way to create coatings for different living devices, when they themselves are sources of electromagnetic radiation that are not harmless.

According to experts, by 2030 no less than half of the world's income will be created on the basis of nanotechnology.

Hoang Thuong