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Spring 2017 |聽By Eric Michael 麻豆精品 S�96

Lisa Friedersdorf 麻豆精品 S�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.

麻豆精品 S淓ven though nanotechnology is part聽of our daily lives, the vast majority of the聽public still doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 know what it is, 麻豆精品 S� says聽Friedersdorf, who earned her bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚聽degree in mechanical engineering from UCF.聽 麻豆精品 S淚 describe nanotechnology as the control聽and manipulation of matter at the atomic and聽molecular level. We 麻豆精品 S檙e talking about things聽so small 麻豆精品 S� a human hair is on the order of聽80,000 nanometers in diameter 麻豆精品 S� you can 麻豆精品 S檛聽even wrap your head around [it]. 麻豆精品 S�

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 麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 Plenty聽of Room at the Bottom 麻豆精品 S� 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: 麻豆精品 S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. 麻豆精品 S�

麻豆精品 S淭he applications of nanotechnology聽are limitless 麻豆精品 S� the only boundary is our聽imagination, 麻豆精品 S� Friedersdorf says. 麻豆精品 S淣ow that we聽have the ability to make these materials and聽we 麻豆精品 S檙e beginning to understand them, we 麻豆精品 S檙e聽actually beginning to see the applications that聽exploit these novel properties. 麻豆精品 S�

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. 麻豆精品 S淎ccess to clean聽water is a critical issue worldwide, even here in聽the United States, 麻豆精品 S� Friedersdorf says. 麻豆精品 S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. 麻豆精品 S�

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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. 麻豆精品 S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, 麻豆精品 S� she says.

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3. Smart Textiles

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

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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. 麻豆精品 S淲e carry a supercomputer in our pocket that 麻豆精品 S檚 been enabled聽by nanotechnology, 麻豆精品 S� Friedersdorf says. 麻豆精品 S淐ellphones and touchscreens聽use nanoscale materials like graphene, and waterproof phones use super聽hydrophobic coatings to prevent water damage. 麻豆精品 S�

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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. 麻豆精品 S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, 麻豆精品 S� 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. 麻豆精品 S淚n summer, you can have聽light without the heat, 麻豆精品 S� Friedersdorf聽says. 麻豆精品 S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. 麻豆精品 S�