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‘Nano’ versus nano: the fight for public understanding of nanotechnology
Like so many areas of research, nanotechnology can be discussed quite easily with people who understand it, but can effortlessly mutate into a perfect nightmare when explaining it to people who do not. At some time or another, many of us will have been placed in a position where it was necessary to explain our professions and areas of research to people who may not understand them. On many occasions, such people seem keen yet are completely dumbfounded by colourful explanations. There is a sense of dismay as they and others ‘misinterpret’ descriptions, ask seemingly unrelated questions, and generally find endeavours at explanation incomprehensible and bewildering. In the main, people are quite genuinely either oblivious to nanotechnology, or have a decidedly skewed notion of ‘what it does’. This chasm within public understanding can be quite easily filled by other means, and the real difficulty is when that chasm becomes filled by marketing communications, rather than fact.
Green Nanoenergy Visions
Advances in Nanotechnology can provide clean Energy Resources and Sustainable Developement
The greatest threat and the biggest technical challenge facing the world in this century is how to provide clean, affordable energy supply which is sustainable and universally available. The rate of growth in global energy demand runs the risk of outpacing affordable, stable supplies unless we can achieve breakthroughs not only in conservation and evolutionary improvements in terms of efficiency of existing resources, but also revolutionary new breakthroughs. Energy resources are vital to sustaining worldwide economic growth, progress, peace and global security in the 21st century. There is an urgent need for new technologies that can facilitate the development of cheaper, more efficient, and environmentally sound energy supplies.
Download Scotland's Nanotechnology Directory
Nanotechnology in Scotland has a long and impressive history, characterised by world class research and underpinned by strong academic and industry collaboration.
The Nanotechnology in Scotland Directory provides an up-to-date snapshot of the breadth of nanotechnology research and development in Scotland today. University spin-outs, international firms, university departments and trade bodies are featured, complete with contact details for people working in the sector.
This information is intended to assist you in identifying organisations and individuals across Scotland, whether for contact or collaboration.
Sustainability: What can nano do for your car?
How nanotech power could replace internal combustion engines.
In this feature Lesley Tobin, of the Institute of Nanotechnology, reviews the impact that nanotechnology is having on the development of electric vehicles.
Motor vehicles are the single biggest source of atmospheric pollution, accountable for almost 15% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning - a percentage that is progressively increasing.
It is estimated that by 2020 more than 1 billion vehicles will be competing for road space. The average car releases a concoction of at least 1,000 pollutants that contribute to a range of bronchial and respiratory diseases, as well as cancer, lead-poisoning and acid rain .
In confronting these problems, nanoscientists have been contributing to environmental sustainability by developing improved rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors. Both types of portable energy supply store electrical energy in a chemical form, with the market currently dominated by lithium-based rechargeable batteries.
"Nano wells" to make solar power a competitive energy source
Energy from the sun is sufficient to meet our energy demands ten thousand times over, although we have, until recently, been unable to make use of it. Now, a new application of nanotechnology to the performance of solar collectors can offer a real potential for wide-scale electricity generation. Professor Keith Barnham and his team at Imperial College London have been working on how the application of nanotechnology to photovoltaics can raise efficiency and reduce the cost of solar cells.
Polish potential
Poland is set to become a world player in nanotechnology following recommendations by a government commissioned report to enhance funding, education and industry-links in the nanotechnology market. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education in Poland published the “Strategy for the reinforcement of Polish research and development in the field of nanosciences and nanotechnologies” in July this year. More than 50 research centres across the country have an active interest in nanotechnology and Poland has already reached world standards in areas including nanometals, polymeric nanocomposites, spintronics, and semiconductive nanostructures, quantum programming, synthesis of nano-powders and nanolayers.
Synthetic nature: Replacing the rain forests
Engineers can already accomplish limited genetic modification and genetic selection of embryos. In due course, they will be able to customise many characteristics, as well as editing and designing species. Although today, it is considered unethical to modify human embryos for enhancement purposes, in the sufficiently far future, it may be considered irresponsible parenting not to give children the best possible genetic and proteomic start in life. It may also become feasible to recreate extinct species by using derivatives of cloning and GM technology, provided that high quality samples of that species’ DNA are available.