When you talk about nanoparticles, you may begin to visualize those little robots that a certain cartoon character developed to help him with certain tasks and deeds. These are nano-bots and are not what scientists in universities in Mexico have developed in order to help clean water of toxic substances in less than an hour.

How this happens seems to need the power of the sun or of ultraviolet light to complete the purification process. What the researchers in these universities used was titanium oxide nanoparticles that have been made to adhere to glass with the use of heat.

Once water in these glass containers that have been treated with these nanoparticles is hit by sunlight or by UV rays, the water is then purified.

This same concept is actually being used by certain companies who purify water but not as their main water purification mode. Instead, the use of nanoparticles for purification is a secondary method used with other water purification methods to further remove toxins and dirt from water.

What these companies do is to add porous nanoparticles to water-purifying membranes to help increase their water purification efficiency and to enhance productivity without compromising quality. This method is often seen as doubly effective as current water purification methods and would help with increasing volume while reducing energy requirements.

This new idea for purifying water is paired off with reverse osmosis and is seen as the new solution to the ever-increasing need for clean drinking water in a time when water supplies are fast disappearing. This new technology for making fresh water can be used with desalination and can make fresh water out of saltwater faster and with the use of less energy.

This may seem too good to be true since saltwater has seldom been purified with the use of membranes like the one used in reverse osmosis due to the energy needs that are required by such an action.

The use of nanoparticles in this equation seems to not only help purify water effectively by removing the toxins that can be found in the water being cleaned, it also helps increase the production of clean water due to the water-attracting or hydrophilic properties that this membrane now has due to these nanoparticles.

While this may seem way too idealistic, the company that seems to have developed this technology is set to put out their water purification system for commercial use in the coming year. Sounds too good to be true? Probably, but imagine if this produces what it says it can produce.

You will be able to solve the water pollution problem that a lot of countries around the world are experiencing—and all you will need is this new nanoparticle water purification system and a salt water source and you have water that you can drink safely.

Many people have never even heard of this cutting-edge science, but it’s quite simple: nanotechnology studies and modifies elements at the particle level, so it can be applied to almost anything you can imagine. And when you apply it to mattresses, you get an extremely pleasant result.

Scientists at the University of Florida and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a mattress built on flexible nano-engineered carbon microtubes. In form and appearance this material will basically resemble foam.

The two schools published their findings in Journal Science in 2006 and essentially revealed that by using nanotechnology they were able to create a thin film of multiwalled carbon tubes. These tubes were then combined into large groups to create the foam-like structure, which behaves quite similarly to the famous memory foam employed by high-end luxury companies like Tempur-Pedic.

There is one key difference: nanotube foam recovers its shape much faster than conventional foam and doesn’t collapse or fracture under weight. Thanks to some brilliant engineers, the nano-foam is able to compress to approximately one-sixth of its normal size and still rebound completely as if it had never been compressed.

Researchers have even taken cosmetic appearance into consideration. They have designed and patented small fibers known as “nano-whiskers” that measure only 1/1000th the width of a human hair. These are then attached to the individual fibers that make up fabric.

They act as a protective shield over the fabric because substances bead up and wick off the whiskers before they ever get through to the fabric itself, thereby allowing it to repel stains. Almost every mattress manufacturer who produces the memory foam mattress also equips the fabric surface of that mattress with nano-whiskers so that the mattress is not only softer and more comfortable for your body, but also easier to clean.

Some companies don’t produce mattresses that are completely composed of nano-foam, but almost every serious contender in the mattress industry is now providing at least one model that incorporates nano-foam elements in one way or another. They are tapping into the technology that will revolutionize our generation: nano-materials can “do it themselves.”

We are already beginning to see Eddie Bauer khakis that can’t be stained, shirts that “eat” odors or self-clean, and household cleaning chemicals that require only a quick spray-on application and then keep surfaces clean for weeks. And, of course, the nano-mattress, which is made of the same molecularly engineered carbon tubules that NASA plans to use for its infamous space elevator.

NASA needed a material that was strong enough yet also light enough to handle the forces that would assail a cable strung from Earth into space orbit, and out of all the available materials at their disposal they chose nano-carbon tubules, the same substance used in a nano-foam mattress.

The more you learn about nano-mattresses, the more you want to replace your creaky old innerspring. And if you find out more about that old innerspring mattress you’ll become even more eager to update.

The traditional innerspring mattress uses what is known as a “Bonnell coil,” which was directly adapted from late-19th century buggy seats. It has almost nothing to do with the human body and sometimes causes adverse effects, as anyone who’s ever woken up with a sore back can attest.

But now you have miraculous modern materials like nano-foam, which can resist stains, conform to your body more effectively than any other substance, and won’t tear, collapse, or indent.

All of this is remarkable, but it’s even more impressive when you consider how much comfort the researchers were able to achieve using such a limited amount of material. The nano-foam ratio they developed for use in these mattresses is 85% air, giving new meanings to the phrases “Lighter than air,” and “Less is more.”

When you crush a traditional innerspring mattress during testing, each of the coils reacts individually—this means that as the weight of your body pushes on such a mattress, you will have an uneven surface putting stress on your joints and muscles. Nano-foam fixes these issues because each of its tiny tubes moves in unison with the others.

During its crushing test it showed unanimous movement throughout the mattress body, which translates directly into comfort that conforms to your every move.

These nano-materials, with their unprecedented levels of springiness and luxury, are also extremely strong. Researchers are continuing to find varied uses for this wonderfully versatile new foam, including high-tech cushioning pads, energy-absorbent coatings, and various accessories that will probably be used by NASA in space-flight.

This harks back to tempur, also known as memory foam. Tempur revolutionized the way people sleep when it was introduced into the public market back in the late 90’s. Looking at how memory foam has so drastically and positively affected our quality of life gives you some idea of the incredible nature of nano-foam, which is basically the new tempur.

Nanotechnology has effectively outdated memory foam in the same way that memory foam outdated the innerspring, all thanks to some brilliant scientists. And after all, I don’t know about you, but those are the people I want working on my mattress.

Nanotechnologists are now saying that they have produced “self-cleaning” products that, when applied to typical household surfaces, simply make the dirt disappear.

Nanotechnology cleaning has several branches and functions in many different ways, but just a few of them are:

Self-cleaning fabrics. Fashionistas, rejoice! Australian researchers have discovered that a thin layer of titanium dioxide nanoparticles will immediately “eat” any stain. This could revolutionize the clothing industry.

So far they’ve only tried this technique on wool and silk, but don’t worry—eventually they’ll get around to all your favorite fabrics.

Cleansing films. These chemical treatments are applied (usually sprayed) onto smooth surfaces that tend to accumulate a lot of grime.

This makes them perfect for the kitchen or bathroom. After being sprayed, the nanotechnology in the chemical breaks down dirt at a molecular level, so that if left on long enough it will completely dissolve. If left to work only a small amount of time, it will at least make the grime easy to wipe off.

One of these films uses titanium oxide nanoparticles as its main ingredient. Titanium oxide is known as a “photocatalyst” because it has the ability to turn ordinary light into energy, and then uses that energy source to kill harmful bacteria. When you use this nano-spray, it literally eats the dirt right off of anything you spray it onto.

This form of nanotechnology cleaning has also been modified to create a super-effective window cleaner. Nanotechnologists have customized the molecular characteristics of thin polymer layers, making a product that you can quickly and easily apply to glass surfaces from your kitchen window to your car’s windshield.

Many people enjoy using it on their windshield because it has long-lasting water repellant properties. This not only makes the windshield easier to keep clean, but also makes driving in the rain much safer.

Nanoparticle soaps. When nanoparticles—or in other words small amounts of a chemical whose structure is based on nanotechnology, are placed within a regular hand soap, they greatly increase the efficiency of the soap.

This is great news for the environment, since nanoparticles can replace other chemicals with harmful byproducts. It also increases the natural efficiency of hand soap to keep your hands clean, making this a win-win situation from many angles.

Silver nanoparticles. This one is still in question because there is some concern that small particles of silver may damage helpful bacteria if they find their way into the water systems, as they inevitably will if used for cleaning purposes.

On the other hand, their antibacterial properties make them great cleaning agents when it comes to the gunk on your counters and floors. Elemental silver naturally kills off harmful bacteria.

Super washing machines. Companies like Samsung have used nanotechnology cleaning to revolutionize the way we clean clothes.

During the wash and rinse cycles, their machines electrolyze silver particles to produce over 400 billion silver ions. These ions penetrate and permeate the clothing inside the washing machine, giving it a deep-clean at the molecular level.

Not only this, but the nano-silver provides a lasting layer of sterilization that eliminates 99.99% of household bacteria on your clothing for up to 30 days. And perhaps best of all for mothers is that it automatically keeps the washing machine clean.

The silver nanoparticles disinfect every little nook and cranny of the washer’s insides. Samsung is also developing a similar product that will keep your refrigerator clean and free of bacteria.

Below is a list of  other household cleaning products that are currently in development:

Altimate Enviorcare. This spray-on film is packed full of titanium oxide nanoparticles and not only kills bacteria, but also eliminates odors.

EnviroSan Products. This line of cleaning products replaces harmful substances with more environmentally-friendly nanoparticles called “micelles,” which remove grease and dirt with unparalleled efficiency.

Nanofilm. As the name suggests, this one is also a liquid film. It uses polymer molecules that bond to glass surfaces like your windshield, protecting it with a thin, strong shield that repels dirt and water. This means that your windshield will self-clean for weeks before another application is needed.

Nanotec.Similar to Nanofilm, but with a more all-purpose application. It can be sprayed on most smooth surfaces and not only cleans the dirt off them, but leaves behind a hydrophobic layer of nanoparticles that repel water and dirt.

Although these miraculous nanotechnology cleaning products are still in their experimental stages, within as little as five years we may find them becoming a central part of our everyday lives. Already there are a handful of everyday cleaning products being developed.

However, the ramifications of this technology will go beyond your living room, although they are useful around the house. Nanotechnology is keeping everything clean, from cars to windows to historical monuments.

Certain important buildings in Rome and Tokyo have already been given a liberal coat of self-cleaning spray to keep grime and dirt from accumulating.

Nanotechnology also creates a positive solution for pollution. The future of nanotechnology is bright, there are endless possibilities, could we invent a substance that eats garbage, who knows ! ? Scientists are conducting research  products of this nature.

Researchers at the University of South Australia’s Ian Wark Research Institute have found a way to purify drinking water with nanotechnology, something that is increasingly crucial in today’s world. Poor-quality drinking water continues to be a dangerous health issue for the majority of the earth’s population.

However, researchers Peter Majewski and Chiu Ping Chan discovered that by coating silica particles with a thin layer of hydrocarbon-based active material and releasing them into major water systems, they can remove bacteria, viruses, and toxic chemicals from water to make it safe for human consumption.

These Surface Engineered Silica, or SES, were mixed into the water for an hour and then strained out. After its nanotechnology treatment the previously contaminated water was found to be completely free of pathogens.

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Of course, this is not the case and as we start to understand what nanotubes are used for, we start to understand the potential of this particular science.

One of the most impressive and potentially life changing potential for the use of nanotubes is the ability to help the human body transmit nerve signals where there was previous damage.

When the spinal cord receive trauma, the brain and the body are often cut off from each other by the lack of nerve signal transmission along the spinal cord. Nanotubes have actually been proven to be able to correct this problem in some patients.

Nanotubes are actuall stronger than steel by about one hundred times. Additionally, nanotubes are a fantastic electricity conductor, outperforming copper and silicone.

When nanotubes are used as semiconductor chips their potential is actually limitless. Their strength and their ability to conduct electricity make them prime options for medical advancement, space exploration, undersea exploration, and even computer advancement. The carbon nanotube could one day become the basis of all sciences.

Medical science has been able to see the potential for medical advancement. Paralysis and neurological diseases could be treated and even cured with the nanotube. Once carbon nanotubes are created for nerve cell transmission, the potential for human cell growth on the surface makes nanotube therapies a prime choice for all of medical science to continue to explore.

There is promising research that indicates that the cure for cancer could lay in the hands of nanoscience. Since the nanotubes’ surfaces allow for the growth of human cells, the hope is that the nanotubes could be injected into cancer patients with pinpoint accuracy and the cancer cells could be destroyed while noncancerous cells would be encouraged to grow on the nanotubes’ surfaces.

This technology has not been perfected yet but the hope that the technology will one day eradicate cancer. This hope is thus far the most promising that medical science has ever witnessed.

Those who suffer from diseases and ailments like chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, and even depression may very well also be helped by the use of nanotubes. By creating the nanotubes to conduct specific nerve impulses, the altered nerve impulses that can cause the symptoms of these diseases can be over ridden.

Those who are opposed to stem cell research believe often have cited that there has been drastic improvements in the research that nanotubes present. It could have the same effect with the ability to engineer them for specific nerve cell signals.

This may one day turn out the be more productive and promising than stem cell research, which are clean human cells that can be injected and grow into the appropriate human cells that are needed to quiet the symptoms of the disease.

Some nanoscientists are creating carbon nanotubes to actually record the perpetual cell activity in the human body. This would mean that the nanotubes would have the capacity to “understand” what the human cells are doing, record the information, and then respond appropriately.

This means that we have the technology to direct the nanotubes to respond to human cells in different ways, which would allow us to direct the nanotubes to address diseases on the cellular level. The potential to treat almost any disease exists with the use of nanotubes.

Nanotube research is not as well known as other forms of medical research, but it holds great promise. It is vital that the communities that will one day implement this science continue to increase their education regarding nanotechnology and all possible applications of nanotubes.

Nanotubes are now being coated to increase their ability to respond to nerve cell direction, they are being tested on human cancer cells and even worms.

They are being specifically created for various disease relief. While the science and the technology has not received much media attention (most likely because it is not controversial) there are some human trials taking place around the world to attempt to prove that this is the next viable treatment options for many medical problems.

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While originally nanotubes were a highly rare commodity to the point where the first nanotubes were discounted as nanotubes for not meeting the width requirements, today it is a very different story.

Now, nanoscientists can order up premade carbon nanotubes in order to shorten their time in the cultivation stage and spend more energy in the application effort.

In 1996, Rice University studies successfully developed a rapid production of the single walled nanotubes. This has allowed scientists to simply submit an order and receive the necessary raw materials for creating new and improved scientific strides.

The ordered nanotubes are created through a process of laser vaporization. The laser vaporizing process targets the carbon particles and is confined to a 1200 degree Celsius furnace that in effect “grows” the nanotubes.

There is a specific catalyst of cobalt nickel is part of the growth process. The idea is that the cobalt nickel helps the growth process by preventing the capping of the nanotubes so that they have the opportunity to grow into long tubes in a short period of time. The carbon that is targeted this way can be manufactured into nanotubes between 70 and 90% of the attempts.

Two separate laser pulses are effective at helping the growth continue over longer periods of time, which helps produce larger nanotubes in a shorter period of time. It is vital that the growth process is controlled in order to maintain some sort of uniformity in the manufactured nanotubes.

This is important when it comes to scientific research. Research is naturally more effective when the nanotubes are the same size and width for the project.

The nanotubes are then removed from the superheated furnace via a constant flow of argon gas that ushers the nanotubes directly into a cooling chamber in a copper nanotube collector that is cooled by water. This stabilizes the process and gets the microscopic tubes ready to be delivered to the scientists in need of the tubes for experimentation and application.

A few years later, the University of Montpellier, France amended the process of how nanotubes are made. The production of nanotubes were based on the same need, but the process of manufacturing them was altered in an attempt to get the orders filled with more accuracy in less time.

Ionized carbon is still targeted and the superheating of the discharge has been shown to grow nanotubes in a controlled and quick manner.

There are many other scientific groups that are now altering the original two methods and using them in combination to mass produce carbon nanotubes for scientific experimentation.

With the increase in demand, many different collaborative efforts (even internationally) are merging to attempt to continuously improve the quality, accuracy, and uniformity of carbon nanotube production.

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While most applications for nanotubes are still quite futuristic, the progress in this relatively young science has been astonishing. The 1990s and the early part of the 21st century has proven to be a continuous developmental promise for the applications of carbon nanotubes.

Nanotubes are a round connection of atoms that create one of three distinctive patterns, capped at the ends by fullerene molecules. These tubes can be manipulated with care to conduct electricity and to withstand very great stresses.

The nanotubes are stronger than steel and can be directed to take on specific human cell or be used to create special coatings for the quantum wires that can be used for a host of potential applications of nanotechnology.

While the idea of materialization is still rather far from our current reality, but this could essentially become another application for nanotubes, nanotechnology, and the high tech communications that would be necessary for such an event. The idea is that nanotechnology could potentially dispense with the need for a monetary system.

With materialization, high tech machines would allow people to simply push a button for their daily needs. The molecular structure of the item would be completed by the machines that are in each home. With this sort of immediate response system, there would be no need for money in our society for daily items.

The idea might seem far fetched and even in the realm of science fiction, but the potential is there as one of the many applications of nanotubes.

Nanotubes are very good at conducting communicative impulses, whether in the body or through technological devices. With the creation of special coatings for the nanotubes, the science may very well give sight to the blind, sound to the hearing impaired, and motion to the paralyzed.

Medically speaking we could soon find a new field of specialty known as nanosurgery. In these procedures, cancer cells or other diseased cells could be eradicated from the body and then replaced by engineered nanotubes that are ready to redevelop the diseased cells with healthy impulses.

It is speculated that the application of nanotubes in medical procedures are likely to completely change the way illness and injury are handled.

Ecologically speaking, nanotubes can change the way we perform ecological research. With the nanotubes, we can create very tiny chips that can record and transmit information that is vital to understanding the way the creatures within the environment are being affected by the changing world.

Through these observations, we can then determine the best way to coexist with the natural world while understanding the impact on ecology we have all the way down to insects and fauna.

The purpose of nanotubes is to potentially help with understanding the realm of space. Scientists can create computers that are crafted from particles and wires that are as small as human cells.

This would mean that we would be able to send these ultra tiny communication devices farther into space.

Since the nanotube is about 100 times stronger than steel, the chances of it making back to Earth despite the atmospheric conditions are probable. Scientists could then download or track the information from these tiny computer devices in order to know what lays beyond the limits of human exploration of space.

As the science of nanotechnology progresses the applications for nanotechnology will grow and expand. Many nano scientists believe that there will be no limits to the power of progress that nanotubes will introduce to the world over the next fifty years.

Because this science is so young, it is almost impossible to predict just how much something that measures one tenth the width of a human hair will be able to change our world and improve our living conditions.

Everything from ultra smart nano robots to changes in the health care options patients have, and even the potential to engineer our children to be smarter and faster people could be the result of finding new applications for nanotubes.

This exciting science is just getting started and the next ten years will start to really open up the true realm of possibilities and we’ll definitely find different purposes of carbon nanotubes that we haven’t even considered yet.

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The first nanotubes were said to be “grown” from a technique known as vapour—growth. The scientific community did not initially embrace the idea that these were in fact the first carbon nanotubes, and the credit went elsewhere in 1991.

The earlier nanotubes were considered to be too thin in diameter to receive recognition by the scientific community. These early “carbon nanotubes” are now known as the “barrelenes.” At this time, carbon nanotubes were able to be observed under the higher technology of the electron miscroscope.

There is realm of speculation that there are applications that would benefit from carbon nanotubes. There is agreement that the strength of the carbon atoms that make up the nanotubes have a high potential to be useful for creating stronger materials on the nano level.

What is a nanotube?

The nanotube is a well structured network of hexagon atoms that connect together in a rolled fashion that create a cylinder without a seam. All nanotubes measure one nanometer in width but have no real specified length requirements. It can be as short as just a few nanometers or it can be thousands of microns, even tens of thousands, in length.

A nanotube is in part identifiable as the connected tubes that are then capped by ½ of the molecule known as the fullerene molecule, making it a perfect cube of atoms that are sectioned off in a very concrete, albeit microscopic manner. When these atoms come together they create a level of strength that is very high and very durable.

The rolled atoms that are capped by the ½ of the fullerene molecule are considered the essential and the most basic of the nanotube structure. The capping of the carbon nanotubes by the fullerene molecule indicates that there is a preset limit to the width of the tube.

There are single walled nanotubes and there are multi—walled nanotubes. When several single walled carbon nanotubes come together they are referred to as ropes. A wide variety of studies have been dedicated to, and continue to be dedicated to, discovering the potential properties and uses for the single walled carbon nanotubes.

As the essential scientific prototype or blueprint for the single dimensional quantum wire, there could be endless applications for the carbon nanotube.

There are three basic types of carbon nanotubes, aptly named the zigzag, the armchair, and the chiral nanotubes. Each one is named based on the way that the grapheme sheet, which is two dimensional, wraps up to create the basic tubular structure of the carbon nanotubes.

In layman’s terms, the wrapping process can look like various types of “lattice” on the carbon nanotube. The incremental measurements of the lattice design are the main indicator of the type of carbon nanotube that is under the unit cell examination.

The various forms of nanotubes have a distinctive measurement of their circumference as well as an identifiable pattern of “lattice” around their diameter. This lattice is technically called the chiral angle.

Tunneling microscopes and electron microscopes can be used to determine the size and type of the carbon nanotubes. While the size and diameter might be something that is more tangibly measurable, other properties like the carbon nanotube’s the tube’s resistivity are much more difficult to determine.

The atoms of the nanotube are so slight that the scanning tunneling microscope and the beam of the transmission electron microscope run the risk of damaging the tube. Thus, it can be highly difficult to discern various information further than the carbon nanotube’s length,width, and type requires great skill along with highly sensitive and expensive microscope equipment.

Each nanotube is created by the hexagon pattern. This pattern has two distinctive carbon atoms. There are multiple carbon atoms which make up the unit cell of the nanotube. Yet, determining the size of the unit cell can also help determine if it is in reciprocal space. There are lengthy mathematical equations that help nano scientists determine the information they are looking for.

The science of carbon nanotubes is a finite science. While there are practical applications for this information, many of us have great difficulty putting the practical application together with the finite science aspect. This is, however, the technology that will allow us to program the smallest of technology that can lead to prosthetic limbs that respond to thought and microcomputers that can track the smallest of nature’s environmental factors.

This is also the science that holds the potential to change our world as we know it, on a financial and practical level, through the advent of materialization. Perhaps one day the practical applications of carbon nanotubes will change the very structure of our society.

The initial history of nanotubes started in the 1970s. A preparation of the planned carbon filaments was completed by Morinobu Endo who was earning his Ph.D. at the University of Orleans, France.

The growth of these carbon filaments were initially thought to be the first carbon nanotubes. However, they failed to meet the measurement requirements for width and thus were deemed, eventually, barrelenes.

This was still a highly important development in the history of carbon nanotubes, but it just wasn’t the right time to be considered the first recognized invention.

Giving the proper credit to who invented carbon nanotubes would not come along for another 20 years. In 1991 the true first invention of nanotube was finally made. It seems as though there was a race between Russian nanotechnologists and Sumio Iijima of IBM.

The first observation of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes was credited to Iijima. There are some that hold the belief that in the 1950s there was an initial discovery of what could have possibly been seen as the first carbon nanotubes had Roger Bacon had the high powered electron microscope that would have been necessary.

He was credited with the first visual impression of the tubes of atoms that roll up and are capped with fullerene molecules by many scientists in the field. Some state that his discovery just wasn’t taken very seriously at the time because science did not know how this discovery could impact scientific research.

It would be in 1993 that Iijima and Donald Bethune found single walled nanotubes known as buckytubes. This helped the scientific community make more sense out of not only the potential for nanotube research, but the use and existence of fullerenes.

With this information, the complete discovery of carbon nanotubes was realized and Iijima and Bethune were ultimately credited with their discovery in their entirety. Russian nanotechnologists were independently discovering the same visual affirmation. They were just a little bit later in their announcement and the potential affect of this discovery.

The continuation of research revealed a great deal about nanotubes and their place in scientific discovery. The research has indicated that there are three basic types of nanotubes (zigzag, armchair, and chiral) as well as single walled and multiwalled nanotubes.

There are buckytubes, which are completely hollow molecules that are crafted from pure carbon and are bonded together in a pattern of specific hexagon patterns. The multiwalled nanotubes are likely to suffer from defects. These defects happen in more than half of all multiwalled nanotubes.

The multiwalled nanotubes have already made appearances in practical applications like creating tennis rackets that are stronger than steel but are ultra light in weight. These nanotubes are also responsible for creating sunscreen and other skin care products that are clear or able to be blended into the skin without leaving behind residue as well as the creation of UV protective clothing.

As nanotechnologists continue to research nanotubes, there is still a race to discover something new within the science. Scientists are researching the potential for life saving techniques as well as the potential to create nanotubes that can be tailored toward specific designated jobs.

With the creation of specified nanotubes, the potential for their use will become unlimited and there will be a nanotechnology world hard at work crafting all kinds of products from the convenient to the life saving.

While Roger Bacon might not have been completely aware of the impact his discovery had on the scientific world, he is technically the first scientist to discover these hollow tubes of carbon that are changing lives on a daily basis. Since the initial rediscovery of the nanotubes in 1991, who discovered carbon nanotubes is no longer as important as who can come up with the most practical applications.

The nanotube is a molecular structure that can be manufactured, or discovered. In reality, the nanotube is invariable and can not be anything other than a hollow tube of carbon that remains within the specified single molecule width requirement. With its invariability comes the potential for scientists to create a wide variety of practical applications by testing their potential for directivity and versatility.

Practical problems can include everything from the need for mass produced forms of nanotechnology that may or may not be possible.

Ethical problems can include everything from the potential direction nanotechnology might take to the problems with the possible effects of the products created.

One of the potential disadvantages of nanotechnology includes the potential for mass poisoning over a period of time. While nanoscience can produce all kinds of new and improved products, the particles that are created are so incredibly small that they may very well cause eventual health problems in the consumers that use them.

Since almost everyone uses a product that has been touched by nanotechnology it is possible that the eventual health effects could be large scale.

Mass poisoning could only happen if the coatings that nanotechnology has the potential to produce include poisonous microparticles that can cross over into the brain. There is a barrier between the blood stream and the brain known as the blood—brain barrier.

Coating all of our products with particles that are small enough to cross over this barrier runs the risk of creating a mass poisoning. Fortunately, the scientists that are able to study nanotechnology have already considered this possibility and there are very strict guidelines that will help detract from this potential risk.

Another potential problem with nanotechnology is the lack of our own knowledge. We know that we can create materials with nanotechnology but we still have to stop and understand the impact of the creation of these products will have on the nanoscale.

If we change the structure of material on the nano level without understanding the potential impact on the nanoscale, we risk creating a whole world of materials that have atoms that actually do not fit together cohesively.

There are some potential disadvantages of nanotechnology that fall in the realm of both the practical and the ethical. If nanotechnology can help the human body recover from illness or injury then it is quite possible that nanotechnology can create an altered human state.

We could potentially be able to create a human race that is engineered and altered to become hyper—intelligent and super strong. The serious complications with such issues include the idea that the scientific technology would only be available to those who can afford it. That would mean there would be an underclass of people; the people we are now.

Should nanotechnology actually be able to procure an honest and true molecular manufacturing machine for every household how would the world’s economy survive? What would we do with all those jobs that are lost in the manufacturing fields and how would we calculate monetary concerns when it comes to this type of on demand manufacturing?

There is a host of potential weaponry that could be produced on a molecular level. For any scientist, the potential to engineer diseases and create lethal weaponry that can’t even be seen is an ethical quagmire. Even more distressing is whether or not other countries that have nanotechnology capabilities will create these weapons.

While it sounds as though the disadvantages of nanotechnology will be the end of the world, this is not really the case. With all the good any science can do, there is always the capability of engineering evil potential. There is a system of checks and balances in place to help prevent the mishandling of scientific research and capabilities.

There is also not a great likelihood that most of the potential disadvantages will come to fruition. Rather, it is more likely that the ethical questions and concerns will be addressed as the potential for actual development and practical use comes into play. Most of the concerns that scientists and ethical experts are concerned with will not be a realistic potential for a long time to come.

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There is the possibility that the future of nanotechnology is very bright, that this will be the one science of the future that no other science can live without. There is also a chance that this is the science that will make the world highly uncomfortable with the potential power to transform the world.

Even positive changes can make world leaders and citizens alike very nervous. One of the top concerns regarding the future of nanoscience includes molecular manufacturing, which would be the ability to bring materials to life from the simple molecular reconstruction of everyday objects.

This technology could end world hunger. At the same time, this process could lead to experimental molecular manufacturing with live beings.

The future of nanotechnology could improve the outlook for medical patients with serious illnesses or injuries. Physicians could theoretically study nano surgery and be able to attack illness and injury at the molecular level. This, of course, could eradicate cancer as the surgical procedures would be done on the cellular base.

Cancer cells would be identified, removed, and the surgical implantation of healthy cells would soon follow. Moreover, there would be an entire nano surgical field to help cure everything from natural aging to diabetes to bone spurs. There would be almost nothing that couldn’t be repaired (eventually) with the introduction of nano surgery.

While this sounds like a promising future, the natural process of life and death would be completely interrupted. Without death, the world would become overpopulated and leave no place for the ecosystems that we rely on for our survival. We could potentially end up in a world that requires the personally controlled delivery of oxygen through tanks and masks.

The future of nanotechnology could very well include the use of nanorobotics. These nanorobots have the potential to take on human tasks as well as tasks that humans could never complete. The rebuilding of the depleted ozone layer could potentially be able to be performed.

Nanorobots could single out molecules of water contaminants. We could put these tony robots to use keeping the environment cleaner than ever since they could break it down to each atom of water pollution. These nanorobots could also take over human jobs, especially those in high tech positions. If we wipe out too many human high paying, high tech positions then we threatened the world economy.

The future of nanotechnology rests in the hands of the current scientists that are ready and able to help guide this very young science into the next realm. There are those who fear the future of nanoscience and there are those who are ready to embrace it. Walking a careful line in cohesive junction with human interests is going to be a tricky but worthwhile accomplishment.

There is a possibility that the future of nanotechnology could also be the end of the science. There is a great burden on the scientists of nanotechnology. These men and women have to be able to keep the progress in play while keeping the interest in nanotechnology alive despite the potential limitations.

Nanotechnology is already quietly expected within the scientific community to be the answer to the world’s problems. Just like the previous answer to the world’s problems the human element cannot be factored in until the future becomes the present.

Much of the funding for nano—research may very well require something amazing in order to continue. The funding that keeps nanotechnology alive is invested in the potential future progress that this technology promises.

If it fails to deliver at least some of the potential, funding and interest might vanish right before the eyes of the scientists who spend their lives trying to increase life’s wonders through the manipulation of atoms and molecules.

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