It is apparent that the trend of products today is to become smaller and smaller. We use many products today that achieve the same uses as its much bulkier predecessors. Just think back to the days of primitive cell phones. To say they were ‘big’ would be an understatement. While most would say that having small and compact devices are a matter of convenience, there are other compelling reason for us to look as deep as nanotechnology. One of these reasons includes potential medical applications.
In fact, medical researchers have been trying to devise useful nano-machines or nano-robots for quite some time. A barrier they had in successfully applying them to medical treatments was the lack of a means of propulsion. This is crucial for maneuvering these machines through areas of the body such as the bloodstream.
Until recently, there had been no viable motor to accomplish this task. Researchers have now discovered a means to make motors at the nano-level, which spin at 600 revolutions per minute and can move things 2,000 times their weight. What is the secret to such magnificent specifications? Carbon.
Carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. However, it is often overlooked in materials manufacturing in favor of metals. Interestingly, carbon is convenient to work with and has suitable properties for nanotechnology. Nano-tubes composed entirely of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons can be made into a yarn that can be used as a type of electric motor.
These carbon fibers, which are 100 times stronger than steel of the same dimensions, are coated in an electrolyte. This allows the fibers to expand when voltage is applied. The expansion can produce a torque on par with much larger conventional electric motors.
Researchers propose that this type of motor can be used to produce ‘flagella’ for nano-robots. These nano-robots can then be used to deliver drugs, fight diseases, and remove parasites. The applications do not end there. Scientists can apply this technology in several other ways to treat the body’s problems.
I am awestruck as to how ideas which were once science fiction are now commonplace. In the future we can perhaps expect to see nano-machines populating our bodies, constantly monitoring and regulating it, defeating disease once and for all. Nanotechnology may give us the ultimate bond between man and machine.
Readers may be interested to note that researchers from UBC were involved in this collaboration with researchers from other countries.
For more information
See article:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2011/10/12/science.1211220.abstract