DIFFERENT USES OF NANOPARTICLES

Nanoparticles, as we all know, are the tiny particles of matter which have unique properties. Measured in nanometers, these particles can be used to customize the properties of materials as per requirement. And the best part is that nano being the one billionth part, this customization can be done at a very tiny scale. Most people would think that owing to the tiny size of nanoparticles, they are beneficial for use in electronics only. In fact, nanoparticles are useful in almost all aspects of our everyday life. Nanotechnology is being presently used in many areas and researches are underway to find more areas where it can be useful.

Nanoparticles are useful in the following areas:

• Medicine

• Consumer Products

• Environment and energy

• Electronics

• Automobiles

Let's have a detailed look at the uses of nanoparticles in different fields:

1. NANOPARTICLES IN MEDICINE

Nanotechnology has already made good use of nanoparticles in various fields of medicine and more research is being carried out to determine other areas of medicine where nanoparticles can be useful. Some of the areas of medicine where nanoparticles are being used for better results are:

Drug Delivery - Nanotechnology uses nanoparticles for delivering drugs to body parts. Drug delivery means the drug is delivered to the required location of the body in specified quantities. The use of nanoparticles ensures that the drug reaches only the specified location and its side effects are reduced considerably. In normal drug delivery systems such as pills and injections, delivery to the specific locations depends largely on the body but with the use of nanoparticles, drugs can reach the required body part safely. Due to this, chances of damage to healthy cells of the body are reduced because nanoparticles are so engineered as to reach the affected cells directly.

For example, in North Carolina state university, a system is being developed wherein cardiac stem cells can be directly delivered to the damaged heart tissues without affecting the healthy tissues. This system of delivering drugs by using nanoparticles will not only reduce the pain of the patient but will lower the costs also.

Diagnostic Techniques - Nanotechnology is making rapid progress in diagnosing diseases with the help of nanoparticles.

Methods are developed/being developed for early detection of diseases like

• Cancer

• Perkinson's disease

• Alzheimer's disease

• Kidney Damge

• Flu viruses, etc.

Present methods of detecting diseases like cancer are uncomfortable for the patients and are time-consuming. These methods are invasive also. However, these issues can be removed with the help of nanosensors.

These nanosensors use the application of nanotubes, cantilevers, nanowires or atomic force microscopy for early detection of diseases. The most important aspect of these nanosensors is that they improve sensitivity. They also help in measuring such analytes which could not be measured earlier. Another benefit of using these nanosensors is that they reduce the production costs.

The benefit of using nanoparticles in diagnosis is that they easily attach to proteins or other molecules, which facilitates the detection of disease at a very early stage and can be done in just one sample in the lab. Sensors for detecting cancer cells have already been developed wherein, gold nanoparticles are attached with similar antibodies to detect cancer cells.

Detecting diseases with the help of nanoparticles can have two key benefits:

• Tests may be carried out rapidly and results can be obtained quickly. This may be done in a doctor's clinic itself in one sitting only.

• Due to early detection of the disease, as compared to the techniques being used currently, treatment can start early and can be less painful and damaging to the patient.

We can see how nanoparticles play an important part in early diagnose of so many serious diseases.

Medical Imaging - The imaging techniques being used currently like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Optical Imaging (OI) and Ultrasound Imaging (USI) and Positron-Emission Topography (PET) have been fairly successful in providing the required images and help the medical professions to detect the disease.

However, the researchers are now working to take the imaging to the next level. The use of nanotechnology is helping in tracking the movement of molecules and cells in a person's body. Also, the advancement has brought in techniques like 3D-Imaging into practice.

To this effect, two different types of nanoparticles are being used in the advancement of imaging techniques. They are:

• Luminescent probes are being used for Optical Imaging (OI)

• Magnetic nanoparticles for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Since nanoparticles have varied chemical composition, they are fast becoming drivers of developing newer imaging techniques. There is a need for fast and detailed imaging of tissue microstructures and lesion characterization. This kind of imaging requires non-toxic contrast agents which can circulate for a longer duration, and nanotechnology fulfills that requirement. It provides nanoparticles based contrast agents which can be used in most of the imaging methods.

Thus, we can safely say that the use of nanoparticles in medicine is going to bring a drastic change in the way the damage to the human body is diagnosed and treated.

2. NANOPARTICLES IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS - Many products that we use in our everyday life are made with the help of nanoparticles. Some of the major categories of consumer products made with the help of nanoparticles are:

• Cosmetics

• Food

• Glasses

Cosmetics - Nanotechnology is being used in the skincare products and the products protecting us from harmful sunlight. This keeps our skin youthful and glowing. The applications of nanoparticles in consumer products also include moisturizers and hair care products. Nanotechnology uses them as ultraviolet filters. They also act as delivery agents. The cosmetic industry uses Liposomes and niosomes for this purpose.

Food- Nanotechnology can be used in various aspects of food. These include production, processing, packaging and even safety of food. As the concerns about the quality of foods and their nutritional value and benefits grow, the need to find ways to enhance the quality of foods without disturbing their nutritional value is also growing. The food industry is also seeing a growth in the demand for nanomaterials in the food as they are found to be non-toxic. Apart from this, they are also stable at high temperatures. Thus, nanoparticles have a great role and use in all aspects of the food industry including manufacturing, processing, and packaging.

Glass - Nanoparticles are being used to make glass photocatalytic and hydrophilic. In a photocatalytic glass, nanoparticles are energized when ultraviolet rays fall on it and start loosening the dirt particles on the glass. Similarly, hydrophilic glass has a property that makes water spread evenly on the surface, making it easy to clean. These glasses are being used to manufacture scratchproof eyeglasses. This system is also being used to manufacture self-cleaning windows.

3. NANOPARTICLES IN ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY - Two of the gravest challenges being faced by the world today are the environmental pollution and shortage of energy. The evolution of nanotechnology has helped in the discovery and creation of newer nanomaterials. And these nanomaterials are acting as stimulators for various environmental applications thus improving upon environmental sustainability.

Some examples are:

• The process of manufacturing propylene oxide has many polluting byproducts. It has been established in research that if nanoclusters are used as catalysts, these polluting byproducts are considerably reduced. This propylene oxide is used to manufacture various plastics, paints, detergents, etc.

• Nanoparticles are being used for treating groundwater. It is done when iron nanoparticles spread all through the water body and clean up the organic solvents present in the groundwater.

• Nanoparticles can be used in cleaning oil spills. They are in a grid that provides more surface area for the reaction which is useful in cleaning the oil spills.

Concerns regarding the shortage of energy are being addressed with the following developments:

• Stronger and lower weight windmill blades are being manufactured with epoxy made with nanotubes. Windmills using these blades generate more electricity than others.

• Nenotatrapods with nanocarbon particles are being used to make low-cost electrodes for fuel cells.

• Low-cost and high-efficiency solar cells are being developed using silver nanowires.

4. NANOPARTICLES IN ELECTRONICS - The use of nanotechnology is making a big difference in the manufacture of electronics. Some researches have shown how the capability of an electronic device can be increased while reducing its weight and power consumption at the same time.

• A method to print prototype circuit boards on standard inkjet printers by using silver nanoparticle ink has been developed by the researchers. This ink forms the conductive lines needed to print circuit boards.

• Nanomagnets have been used as switches, like transistors in electrical circuits. Using them results in electrical circuits consuming much less power than the transistor-based circuits.

• Nanoparticles are being used in ultra HD displays of the television as well as in the memory chips.

• The use of nanowires makes the flat panel display more flexible and thinner than the ones being manufactured currently.

5. NANOPARTICLES IN AUTOMOBILE - Nanotechnology is set to play a major role and is going to be one of the core technologies in the automobile sector in the future. Key areas like fuel consumption, safety, environmental impact, driver information, and comfort are being addressed by the use of nanoparticles. The automobile sector can benefit from nanomaterials by way of lightweight, less wear, and corrosion, and advanced electronics and sensors as also advanced tire technology.

In cars, nanotechnology offers the following advantages:

• Lighter materials that are also strong and result in less fuel consumption and increased safety.

• Hydrogen and fuel cell-powered cars have less effect on the environment.

• Better electronics systems in smaller sizes.

• For gasoline-powered cars, improvement in engine efficiency and fuel consumption.

• Lower component failure resulting in longer life of the car.

Some major applications of nanotechnology are as under:

• Traditional metallic chassis parts are being replaced by nonengineered thermoplastic parts which help in a weight reduction of the vehicle up to 40%.

• Paint adhesion and color durability improve when used on nanostructured surfaces. Along with this, scratch-resistant, dirt-repellant, and UV-repellant paints are being made available.

• A new nanomagnetic material Spintronics is bringing revolutionary changes in the car computing system of the vehicles. This is used in recuperating technologies like reusing the braking energy.

• With the increased insistence on the use of electric cars, makers are trying to find ways to reduce the costs of these cars. One of the major breakthroughs in this area has been the use of Lithium-ion batteries. Nanotechnology has a great scope of improving the life and performance of these batteries. It can also help in reducing the size and weight of batteries while improving their safety and stability at the same time. It will also shorten their recharge time.

• The automobile industry has been using Carbon black as a nanomaterial in tires as a pigment and reinforcing agent. This reinforcing agent provides properties such as better grip, resistance to wear and tear, and abrasion resistance. The addition of nanomaterials in the rubber used for tires improves the safety and durability of tires.

• Driving during the day and the night becomes difficult due to different types of lights. For safer and secure mirrors and windows, an ultra-thin layer of aluminum oxide (thickness less than 100 nm is provided on the glass. This is done to reduce the impact of UV rays during the day and glare of the lights of the vehicles coming from the opposite side during the night. This nanolayer of aluminum oxide makes the glass dirt and water repellant.

CONCLUSION - So we can see that nanoparticles can be customized to achieve desired structural properties at very small levels. Nanotechnology makes materials stronger, lighter, more durable and more reactive. Nanotechnology is revolutionalizing many areas of human life and the use of nanoparticles in various areas is making a strong and major impact on various technologies.