Nano-Technology

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – Nanotech opens up job options in a variety of industries.

Concept –

Nanotechnology primarily refers to the use and creation of particles that are smaller than 100 nanometre.
The Government of India launched the Nano Mission in 2007 as an umbrella capacity-building programme.
As a result of the efforts led by the Nano Mission, today, India is amongst the top five nations in the world in terms of scientific publications in nanoscience and technology.

Scope of application of nanotechnology in the development process of the country:

Agriculture: Nanotechnology can be used in agriculture and food production in the form of Nano sensors for monitoring crop growth and pest control by early identification of plant diseases.
Medical applications: Development of newer drug delivery systems based on nanotechnology methods is being tried for conditions like cancer, diabetes, fungal infections, and viral infections and in gene therapy. Nanotechnology has also found its use in diagnostic medicine as contrast agents, fluorescent dyes and magnetic nanoparticles.
Electronics: The semiconductor industry has been able to improve the performance of electronic systems for more than four decades by downscaling silicon-based devices.
Textiles and Clothing: Nanotechnology has shown a huge potential in the textile and clothing industry which is normally very traditional. Coating is a common technique used to apply Nano-particles onto textiles. The success of nanotechnology in textile applications lies in areas of durability, flexibility, wash ability and softness.
Energy equipment: Nanoscales and nanoporous membranes are being used to facilitate production of biomass fuel. Energy transmission could potentially be made much more efficient by using engineered nanomaterials.