激情快播

Spring 2017 |聽By Eric Michael 鈥�96

Lisa Friedersdorf 鈥�91 knows that even the smallest changes in technology can have huge implications. As director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, she cultivates research and development collaborations between the 20 governmental departments and independent agencies that make up the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), such as the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and NASA. In addition to advancing the study of this groundbreaking field, NNI has an educational mission to build awareness of nanotechnology.

鈥淓ven though nanotechnology is part聽of our daily lives, the vast majority of the聽public still doesn鈥檛 know what it is,鈥� says聽Friedersdorf, who earned her bachelor鈥檚聽degree in mechanical engineering from 激情快播.聽鈥淚 describe nanotechnology as the control聽and manipulation of matter at the atomic and聽molecular level. We鈥檙e talking about things聽so small 鈥� a human hair is on the order of聽80,000 nanometers in diameter 鈥� you can鈥檛聽even wrap your head around [it].鈥�

The concept of nanotechnology is credited聽to Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist聽Richard Feynman, who introduced the idea聽in 1959 during a lecture titled 鈥淭here鈥檚 Plenty聽of Room at the Bottom鈥� at the California聽Institute of Technology. In 2000, President聽Bill Clinton announced the founding of聽the NNI during an address at the same聽institution, where he described the incredible聽potential of nanotechnology: 鈥淛ust imagine,聽materials with 10 times the strength of steel聽and only a fraction of the weight; shrinking聽all the information at the Library of Congress聽into a device the size of a sugar cube;聽detecting cancerous tumors that are only聽a few cells in size.鈥�

鈥淭he applications of nanotechnology聽are limitless 鈥� the only boundary is our聽imagination,鈥� Friedersdorf says. 鈥淣ow that we聽have the ability to make these materials and聽we鈥檙e beginning to understand them, we鈥檙e聽actually beginning to see the applications that聽exploit these novel properties.鈥�

Here’s how nanotechnology is already making our lives better.

1. Cleaner Water

Nanoscale filters can remove an unprecedented聽number of contaminants, including most bacteria and viruses that contribute to many聽deadly waterborne illnesses. 鈥淎ccess to clean聽water is a critical issue worldwide, even here in聽the United States,鈥� Friedersdorf says. 鈥淣anoenabled聽sensors can detect low levels聽of pathogens, and nanotechnology can be聽used to treat water with filters, membranes聽and antimicrobial nanoparticles.鈥�

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2. Long Lasting Materials

Incorporating nanoscale additives in plastics and other polymers has聽improved millions of everyday items to be stronger, more resilient聽and longer lasting, reducing the amount of trash in landfills and聽pollution in the environment. 鈥淥ne of the early applications of聽nanotechnology is to make stronger, lighter composites for use in聽things like vehicles and sporting goods,鈥� she says.

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3. Smart Textiles

With fabric weaved from nanofibers, clothing is becoming more聽resistant to stains, water, fire 鈥� and even bullets 鈥� without a聽significant increase in thickness or weight. 鈥淣anotechnology will聽also enable the development of all kinds of smart textiles, such as聽embedded sensors to monitor health,鈥� Friedersdorf says. 鈥淭here are聽even concepts for T-shirts that enable individual temperature control.鈥�

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4. Smarter Phones

Nanotechnology is being used to reduce the size and weight of the processors聽and batteries running our smart phones, rapidly increasing ease-of-use and聽capability. 鈥淲e carry a supercomputer in our pocket that鈥檚 been enabled聽by nanotechnology,鈥� Friedersdorf says. 鈥淐ellphones and touchscreens聽use nanoscale materials like graphene, and waterproof phones use super聽hydrophobic coatings to prevent water damage.鈥�

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5. Better Sunscreens

Products made in nanoparticle form聽provide better coverage for our skin and聽filter out more harmful ultraviolet rays聽than previous types. 鈥淪ince nanoparticles聽are smaller than the wavelength of聽light, sunscreens are now transparent聽instead of the white-stuff-on-your-nose聽sunscreens many of us remember from聽our childhood,鈥� Friedersdorf says.

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6. Efficient Windows

Coating glass with nanoscale materials聽allows certain wavelengths of light to聽pass while blocking others. As a result,聽buildings are becoming more energy聽efficient. 鈥淚n summer, you can have聽light without the heat,鈥� Friedersdorf聽says. 鈥淭hen in the winter, you can adjust聽[the windows] so that they let in heat聽with the light. They have huge energy聽ramifications.鈥�