INTRODUCTION TO NANOTECHNOLOGY-III : LONG ANSWERS

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1. EXPLAIN WITH DIAGRAM THE CONCEPT OF CARBON NANOTUBE.
   

   ANS:Richard Smalley conceptualised bucky balls, big enough to make tubes. It was made possible by bonding the bucky balls together in a row and truncating the overlapping regions of bucky balls.
   
   
   
   
   
   Nanotubes are cylinders in the form of lattice of carbon atoms.Each carbon atom is covalently bonded to three other carbon atoms. Hence carbon nanotubes are basically a chain of bucky balls whose ends never close into a sphere when they are formed and a lattice of atoms in the shape of a cylinder is formed.
   
   
   
   
   Nanotubes can be Single-Walled Nano Tube(SWNT) or Multi-Walled Nano Tube(MWNT).SWNT consists of a single cylinder whereas MWNT consists of multiple concentric nanotubes of different diameters.
   

   
   
2. DISCUSS THE CHARACTERISTICS AND PROPERTIES OF CARBON NANOTUBES.
   

   ANS:The characteristics and properties of carbon nanotubes are:
   

   1. Tensile Strength:
      
      • The tensile strength of a carbon nanotube is about 100 times more than that of steel.
        
      • High tensile strength is due to the carbon-carbon bonds and the fact that each carbon nanotube is one large molecule.
        
      • Carbon nanotubes are elastic despite their high tensile strength.Therefore they can be bent like a rubber tube.
      
      
   2. Thermal Conductivity:
      
      • The thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes is 10 times that of silver.
        
      • Carbon nanotubes conduct heat by vibrations of the covalent bonds between the carbon atoms. The atoms wiggle around themselves and transmit heat through the material.
        
      • Because the bonds in the molecule are elastic like spring the vibrations occur.
        
      • These vibrations transmit quickly through the tube due to the stiffness of the tube.
      
      

   
   

   
   
3. WHAT IMPROVEMENT WILL NANOTECHNOLOGY BRING ABOUT? EXPLAIN.
   

   ANS:The nanotechnology is expected to bring about the following improvement in near future:
   

   • Global Positioning System(GPS) will be more accurate, smaller and cost-effective.
     
   • Computers will be smaller and faster.
     
   • Super-hard materials with tunable melting points will be made.
     
   • Cell-phone batteries will have longer life.
     
   • DNA fingerprinting will become quicker and more accurate.
     
   • Medical diagnosis and delivery systems will be more efficient.
     
   • Active nanoingredients in sunscreen creams will bring quick skin health.
     
   • Information routing will be done at the speed of light.

   
   

   
   
4. DESCRIBE THE IMPORTANCE OF CARBON IN NANOTECHNOLOGY.
   

   ANS:The importance of carbon in nanotechnology is as follows:
   

   • Carbon is found in great abundance in natural materials.
     
   • Materials containing carbon exhibit a wide range of properties due to specific reasons.
     
   • A carbon atom can form covalent bonds with different types of atoms.
     
   • A carbon atom can form covalent bonds with four other atoms at a time resulting in long-chained molecules.
     
   • A carbon atom can bond strongly to other carbon atoms in many different ways forming a variety of structures.
     
   • All this makes carbon an important element in nanotechnology where the basic structure is a Bucky Ball which is a molecule of 60 carbon atoms forming a sphere-like structure.
     
   • A series of such spheres (Bucky Balls) connected to one another without the ends closing form carbon nanotubes which have many applications in nanotechnology.
     
   • All this makes carbon a very important element for nanotechnology.

   
   
5. EXPLAIN HOW NANOTECHNOLOGY PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SECURITY.
   

   ANS:Nanotechnology plays an important role in security in the following way:
   

   • Superior and Lightweight Material:Nanomaterials ten times stronger than steel will revolutionise battle tanks, spacecrafts, skyscrappers and bridges. We can tune the melting points of nanomaterials by controlling their particle size in the range of nanoscale.
     
   • Powerful Munitions:New nanometals and nanosize particles such as nanoaluminium are chemically more reactive. Varying the size of these particles in munitions will cause minimum collateral damage during explosion.
     
   • Advanced Computing:More powerful and small computers will encrypt date and provide round-the-clock security,e.g. Quantum Cryptography.
     
   • Powerful Chemical Sensors:We can develop highly sensitive chemical sensors which can accurately pinpoint a single molecule out of billion molecules floating around.These sensors will be cheaper and disposible.
     
   
   

   
   

   
   
6. WRITE A NOTE ON NANOTECHNOLOGY AND HEALTHCARE.
   

   ANS:Nanotechnology has wide scope of application in the field of healthcare.
   

   • Diagnostics:
     
     1. Better,cheaper and quicker diagnostic equipment will enable instant diagnosis and drug application.
        
     2. For example:Floating contrast agents into bloodstream will allow detection of diseases with accuracy and speed.
        
     3. Quick mapping of DNA for newly-born babies will give information of potential problems likely to occur in future.This will enable us to curtail diseases at the early stage of life.
     
     
     
     
   • Novel Drugs:Nanotechnology can make drug delivery in precise amount and to precise site in our body.For example: A nanoshell of 100 nm diameter will float through the body, attaching only to cancerous cells.Upon excitation by a laser beam those nanoshells will dissipate heat and the tumour will get destroyed.
     
   
   

   
   

   
   
7. MENTION SOME BENEFITS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY TO MANKIND.
   

   ANS:Some benefits of nanotechnology to mankind are:
   

   • Nanoparticle medicines with vastly improved delivery and control.
     
   • Highly improved printing by nanoscale particles with best properties of both dyes and pigments.
     
   • Vastly improved lasers and magnetic disc heads made by controlling layer thickness.
     
   • 'Nanofood' molecularly identical to the organic food.
     
   • Better, cheaper and quicker diagnostic equipment to enable instant diagnosis and drug application.
     
   • Drug delivery in precise amount to precise site in our body for the treatment of fatal diseases like cancer.
     
   • Better,efficient and cheaper means of security with the help of superior and lightweight materials, powerful munitions, advanced computing and powerful chemical sensors.
     
   • Transformation of electricity into light with the help of nanocrystals preventing excessive loss of energy due to heating.
     
   • Inexpensive and more efficient solar cells and hydrogen fuel cells.
     
   • Lighter, stronger and more efficient engine blocks for cars to save fuel.
     
   • Efficient water purification technology and thus access to clean water in third world countries.