NANO-

TECHNOLOGY

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

MS.KHUSHWANT KAUR JASMINE SIDHU
MS.AMAN DHEER ROLL NO:2236

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Jasmine Sidhu NANOTECHNOLOGY
 INDEX
SNO Name of the Topic Page No
1 What is Nanotechnology? 3

2 The Meaning of Nanotechnology 4

3 History 6
4 Nanotech Facts 7

5 Applications and Products: Putting 8

Technology to Use
6 Nanotechnology offers solution for 11
cheap and effective supply of fresh
drinking water
7 Developing a Nanotechnology 14
Workforce
8 Full Utilization of the NNI 15
Infrastructure
9 Occupational Safety 16
10 NNI Environmental, Health, and Safety Issues 17
11 Ethical, Legal, and Other Societal Issues 18
12 Societal Dimensions 20
13 NNI Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related 21
Environmental, Health, and Safety
Research
14 EPA White Paper on Nanotechnology 23
15 Funding Opportunities 26
16 ADVANTAGES 28
17 International Cooperation on Responsible 30
Development of Nanotechnology
18 NNI Research Centers 32

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 19 BIBLOGARPHY 35

What is Nanotechnology?

With 15,342 atoms, this parallel-shaft speed reducer gear is one of the largest
nanomechanical devices ever modeled in atomic detai

A basic definition:
“Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the
molecular scale. This covers both current work and concepts that are
more advanced. ”

In its original sense, 'nanotechnology' refers to the projected ability to

construct items from the bottom up, using techniques and tools being
developed today to make complete, high performance products.

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The Meaning of Nanotechnology
When K. Eric Drexler (right) popularized the word
'nanotechnology' in the 1980's, he was talking about
building machines on the scale of molecules, a few
nanometers wide—motors, robot arms, and even whole
computers, far smaller than a cell. Drexler spent the next
ten years describing and analyzing these incredible
devices, and responding to accusations of science
fiction. Meanwhile, mundane technology was developing the ability to build
simple structures on a molecular scale. As nanotechnology became an accepted
concept, the meaning of the word shifted to encompass the simpler kinds of
nanometer-scale technology. The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative was
created to fund this kind of nanotech: their definition includes anything smaller
than 100 nanometers with novel properties.

Much of the work being done today that carries the name 'nanotechnology' is
not nanotechnology in the original meaning of the word. Nanotechnology, in its
traditional sense, means building things from the bottom up, with atomic
precision. This theoretical capability was envisioned as early as 1959 by the
renowned physicist Richard Feynman.

“I want to build a billion tiny factories, models of each other, which are
manufacturing simultaneously. . . The principles of physics, as far as I can
see, do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom by
atom. It is not an attempt to violate any laws; it is something, in principle,
that can be done; but in practice, it has not been done because we are too
big.”

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 Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winner in physics”

Based on Feynman's vision of miniature factories using nanomachines to build

complex products, advanced nanotechnology (sometimes referred to as
molecular manufacturing) will make use of positionally-controlled
mechanochemistry guided by molecular machine systems. Formulating a
roadmap for development of this kind of nanotechnology is now an objective of
a broadly based technology roadmap project led by Battelle (the manager of
several U.S. National Laboratories) and the Foresight Nanotech Institute.

Shortly after this envisioned molecular machinery is created, it will result in a

manufacturing revolution, probably causing severe disruption. It also has
serious economic, social, environmental, and military implications.

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 History

 Physicist Richard Feynman gave a ecture to the American Physical Society

in 1959 which foresaw advantages from manufacturing on a very small scale
– e.g. in integrated circuits for computers, for sequencing genes by reading
DNA molecules and using machines to make other machines with increasing
precision. However, the term ‘nanotechnology’ was first used by Norio
Taniguchi in 1974, in a talk about how the accuracy of manufacturing had
improved over time.He referred to ‘nanotechnology’ as that which achieved
greater dimensionalaccuracy than 100nm. Feynman also envisaged machines
that could pick up and place individual atoms. This development of this idea
was laterassisted by the invention of the scanning probe electron microscope
(SPM) which allowed scientists to ‘see’ and manipulate the individual atoms
in a surface. In 1989 one of the defining moments in nanotechnology
occurred when Don Eigler used a SPM to spell out the letters IBM in xenon
atoms.

For the first time scientists could put atoms exactly where they wanted them.
Molecular building blocks - Another great eap forward occurred in the shape of
a new form of carbon. Harry Kroto from the University of Sussex, together with
Richard Smalley and Robert Curl, discovered the carbon 60 molecule, which is
shaped like a soccer ball.

They named the molecular structure after the similarly shaped geodesic dome
structure pioneered by the architect Buckminster Fuller. Unfortunately

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Buckminsterfullerene’ is too long a name for most people and so they are often
called Buckyballs’

Nanotech Facts

Using the scanning tunneling microscope (STM), electron formations can be

viewed. At left, electrons are surrounded by 48 iron atoms, individually
positioned with the same STM used to image them. The image was created and
colorized at the IBM Almaden research laboratory in California.

Think small. Think really, really small—smaller than anything you ever saw
through a microscope at school. Think atoms and molecules, and now you’re
there. You’re down at the nanoscale, where scientists are learning about these
fundamental components of matter and are putting them to use in beneficial
ways.

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It’s a relatively new area of science that has generated excitement worldwide.
Working at the nanoscale, scientists today are creating new tools, products and
technologies to address some of the world’s biggest challenges, including

 clean, secure affordable energy

 stronger, lighter, more durable materials
 low-cost filters to provide clean drinking water

Applications and Products:Putting Technology

to Use
Over the past two decades, scientists and engineers have been mastering the
intricacies of working with nanoscale materials.

Now researchers have a mucher clearer picture of how to create nanoscale

materials with properties never envisioned before.

 Products using nanoscale materials and processes now available.

 Nanotechnology and clean water: Researchers recently discovered
unexpected magnetic interactions between ultra small specks of rust, which
can help remove arsenic from drinking water.
 Jumbotron lamps. For example, a new form of carbon, the nanotube,
was discovered by Sumio Iijima in 1991. In 1995, it was recognized that
carbon nanotubes were excellent sources of field-emitted electrons. By
2000, the “jumbotron lamp,” a nanotube-based light source that uses
these field-emitted electrons to bombard a phosphor, was commercially
available. Today, jumbotron lamps light many athletic stadiums. By
contrast, the period of time between the modeling of the semiconducting
property of germanium in 1931 and the first commercial product (the
transistor radio) was 23 years.

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  Buckyballs.: The discovery of another nanoscale carbon form, C60, the
fullerene (also called the buckyball) brought the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry in 1996 to Robert F. Curl Jr., Sir Harold W. Kroto, and
Richard E. Smalley. It also started an avalanche of research into not only
the novel characteristics of C60, but also other nanoscale materials.

Products using nanoscale materials now available:

 Anti-bacterial wound dressings use nanoscale silver.

 A nanoscale dry powder can neutralize gas and liquid toxins in chemical
spills and elsewhere.
 Batteries for tools are being manufactured with nanoscale materials in order
to deliver more power more quickly with less heat.

Cosmetics and food producers are “nano-sizing” some ingredients, claiming

that improves their effectiveness. Sunscreens containing nanoscale titanium
dioxide or zinc oxide are transparent and reflect ultraviolet (UV) light to
prevent sunburns. Scratch- and glare-resistant coatings are being applied to eye
glasses, windows, and car mirrors.

Entirely new products could result from nanotechnology too. Research in

nanomedicine, for instance, is focused on finding new ways for diagnosing and
treating disease.

Looking farther into the future, some researchers are working toward
nanomanufacturing and a “bottom-up” approach to making things. The idea is
that if you can put certain molecules together, they will self-assemble into
ordered structures.

This approach could reduce the waste of current “topdown” manufacturing

processes that start with large pieces of materials and end with the disposal of
excess material.

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 • Drug-Delivery Techniques

Dendrimers are a type of nanostructure

that can be precisely designed and manufactured for a wide variety of
applications, including treatment of cancer and other diseases. Dendrimers
carrying different materials on their branches can do several things at one time,
such as recognizing diseased cells, diagnosing disease states (including cell
death), drug delivery, reporting location , and reporting outcomes of therapy.

• Water-Filtration Techniques

Researchers are experimenting with carbon nanotube-based

membranes for water desalination and nanoscale sensors to identify
contaminants in water systems. Other nanoscale materials that have great
potential to filter and purify water include nanoscale titanium dioxide, which is
used in sunscreens and which has been shown to neutralize bacteria, including
E. coli, in water.

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 Nanotechnology offers solution for cheap and
effective supply of fresh drinking water

Over one billion people have no access to clean water worldwide, and every
week an estimated 42,000 people die from diseases related to low quality
drinking water. In Australia, drought and salinity affect the water supplies to
major Australian cities and regional areas alike. Nanotechnologies offer
opportunities for cheap and effective solutions for some of the major problems
facing water supplies.

Nanostructured materials and nanoscale processes also have the potential to

improve treatment technologies such as flocculation, filtration and disinfection
to provide clean drinking water more cost-effectively. The large scale
application of nanostructured films or membranes may also provide evaporation
minimisation from reservoirs and water storages.

The Australian water industry faces problems that need to be addressed, and the
need to coordinate future directions for the water industry is apparent. In June
2006, the Victorian Government and Global Access Partners (GAP) organised
and hosted the ‘Forum on Commercialising Nanotechnology in Water’, to
discuss these issues with a number of key people from the water industry. The
Forum agreed that there is not only a need, but also an opportunity for greater

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coordination between the providers of nanotechnology and potential users
within the water industry

• Society & Safety

Responsible development of nanotechnology entails research toward
understanding the public health and safety and environmental implications of
nanotechnology, as well as research toward promising, highly beneficial uses of
the technology. Such an approach recognizes the value of supporting basic
research to develop nanotechnology as well as research to address
environmental, health, and safety concerns related to the use of nanotechnology.

Responsible development of nanotechnology also entails establishing channels

of communication with relevant stakeholders, in terms of both providing
information and seeking input. Such communication allows the public and the
NNI agencies to make well-informed decisions and builds trust among all
stakeholders.

The broad implications of nanotechnology for society can be grouped into two
categories, namely environmental, health, and safety implications and societal
dimensions. The NNI has made and will continue to make research in both
these areas a priority. The implications of nanotechnology extend beyond
borders, so international cooperation is an important part of the NNI strategy for
responsible development in both these categories.

• Education and Workforce Needs

A solid educational foundation, a skilled workforce, and a state-of-the-art R&D
infrastructure are essential to the success of the NNI. Nanoscale science,
engineering and technology programs and resources are required to produce a
new generation of researchers and inventors working at the nanoscale.
Educational programs continue to be developed with NNI support for all levels,
including K-12 schools, community colleges, vocational schools, and major

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research universities. Building on this foundation, additional measures are
needed to develop and maintain a skilled nanotechnology workforce.

The supporting physical infrastructure, that is, highly specialized buildings and
equipment, also is important. The NNI has created a network of
interdisciplinary research centers and user facilities with modern equipment for
nanometer-scale science and engineering research.

The NNI research centers, user facilities, and university-based research projects
are designed and developed to foster multidisciplinary education, offer
opportunities for teacher training, and stimulate the development of curricula
and instructional materials. The NNI also provides hands-on training of
technicians, undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers are
universities, Federal laboratories, and other institutions.

Nanotechnology Education
In the future, the NNI member agencies will build on this investment by
sustaining support for educational programs at all levels. Examples of specific
efforts by the NNI member agencies to support and encourage education
materials for a broad cross-section of users and stakeholders include the
following:

 Enhancing existing programs designed to develop middle school, high

school, and undergraduate scientist-educators who can effectively introduce
nanotechnology concepts into schools.
 Developing educational modules that incorporate nanotechnology into
curricula for the many disciplines contributing to nanotechnology.
 Fostering international exchanges of students and researchers working in
nanotechnology-related fields.
 Putting opportunities in place that bring together nanotechnology researchers
from NNI-funded centers and user facilities to work with educational
researchers and teachers, for example, through summer visiting research
fellowships for teachers and undergraduate students.

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 Developing a Nanotechnology Workforce
A skilled workforce is essential to realizing the NNI vision. This workforce
must include nanotechnology researchers, technicians, manufacturing
engineers, and production workers. To develop this workforce, the NNI will
build on the educational programs described above by promoting partnerships
between industry, educators, and the Federally funded R&D system. Such
partnerships will aim to provide access to training programs for careers in
nanotechnology-related industrial sectors. Examples of activities the NNI will
support and encourage include the following:

 Using career centers funded by the Department of Labor and other

appropriate public venues to distribute information on nanotechnology and
the career opportunities this field offers.
 Developing training programs that encourage workers to pursue
nanotechnology-related career opportunities
 Providing information on nanotechnology-related training opportunities on
the NNI website.
 Assessing human resource issues, including workforce training, by
comparisons with other countries through international benchmarking
exercises.

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 Full Utilization of the NNI Infrastructure

The extensive infrastructure established by the NNI over the past seven years
includes centers and user facilities support research on nanomanufacturing and
nanoscale characterization, synthesis, simulation and modeling. This
infrastructure is well suited to support the prototyping and demonstration stages
of nanotechnology development. The NNI will support and encourage efforts to
keep these facilities fully staffed and readily accessible to nanotechnology
researchers from academia, industry, and the government. The NNI agencies are
committed to promoting broad access to user facilities by all sectors, especially
by small businesses. Future activities include development of an inventory of
major tools and facilities, continued development of user training for these
facilities, and efforts to publicize the availability of these resources. The NNI
agencies will also evaluate these existing infrastructure and equipment
investments, considering possible new needs for the long term. In the near term,
however, the focus will be on maximizing the utility and utilization of the
substantial infrastructure already in place.

Among existing programs are those of the National Science Foundation:

 NSF's Research Experience for Teachers and Research Experience for

Undergraduates, reaching thousands of students and educators annually.
 NSF's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education (NSEE), including
Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education (NUE) awards supporting course
development.
 Educational activities occurring through DOE laboratories, such as the
"Nano*High" effort at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in California - a
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 series of free Saturday morning lectures for high school students of all
interests and teachers of all subjects.
 Support development of science center and museum exhibits, video
production, and other approaches to learning outside of formal educational
institutions.

Occupational Safety
Research on workplace exposure to nanomaterials is a high priority for the
agencies of the National Nanotechnology Imitative. Research funded by the
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Environmental
Protection Agency, and the Departments of Energy and Defense all are
contributing to our knowledge about potential effects of engineered
nanomaterials on biological systems and recommended practices for working
with nanomaterials

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 NNI Environmental, Health, and Safety
Issues
Nanotechnology encompasses an increasing number of activities based on the
ability to measure, see, and control matter at the scale of nanometers. Nanoscale
circuitry is already in cell phones and other electronic products on the market
today. Many applications that are envisioned will take advantage of the fact
that, at the nanoscale materials have different chemical and physical properties
than materials at larger scales. Also, there is potential for nanosized particles to
be transported through cell walls and other biological barriers in ways that are
different from their macroscale counterparts. These properties can be used to
make better batteries, to deliver drugs where they are needed, and to clean
contaminated soil and groundwater. The ability to control matter at the
nanometer scale is leading to technological advances in many areas, including
energy, medicine, and the environment.

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 Ethical, Legal, and Other Societal Issues

The impacts of new technologies, including nanotechnology, on individuals and

society is a subject of inquiry for philosophers, sociologists, ethicists, and
psychologists, among others. Today, the NNI activities in this area include
funding research in economic, ethical, legal, and cultural implications, as well
as implications for science and education, quality of life, and national security.
Some examples of priority research in this area are

 Assessment of education and workforce development needs.

 Additional means of effective public engagement on technology issues.
 Barriers to adoption of nanotechnology in commerce, healthcare, or
environmental protection.
 Nanotechnology impacts on economic growth, standard of living, and
competitiveness.
 Ethical issues in the selection of research priorities and applications.

The NNI also supports efforts to create a variety of opportunities for a broadly
inclusive interdisciplinary dialogue on nanotechnology and to assess and
analyze public understanding of, and attitudes toward, nanotechnology. A

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component of this research is the identification of effective means to raise
awareness of nanotechnology and obtain input from the general public.

In addition, the NNI plans to

 Foster and encourage forums for dialogue with the public and other
stakeholders. Such forums include museums and other science centers,
various programs organized by NNI-funded research centers, the USDA
extension program, and other agency outreach mechanisms.
 Create and distribute new informational materials about nanoscience and
nanotechnology to better communicate with the broad public. Further,
periodic measurements of public perceptions of nanotechnology will provide
important feedback to the NNCO and agencies, as well as to the scientific
community and policy makers.

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 Societal Dimensions
Nanotechnology, like other new areas of technology, will impact society in
ways that may be difficult to predict. The NNI supports ongoing research
pertaining to ethical, legal, and societal implications (ELSI) of nanotechnology,
in order to better understand its societal ramifications, to encourage the
distribution and exchange of insights from leading experts in this area, and to
develop avenues for societal input into nanotechnology development.

The NNI also promotes public outreach, engagement, and communication of

research findings, including those related to understanding societal dimensions
of nanotechnology. The NNI recognizes that the perspectives of public and
stakeholder groups are vital in the nanotechnology R&D enterprise and
conisders public engagement to be one of its key objectives. The NSET
Subcommittee's Nanotechnology Public Engagement and Communications
(NPEC) Working Group, in conjunction with the NNCO, coordinates many of
the NNI activities in this area.

There will also be be continued support for efforts to educate the public through
means such as those currently led by the NSF-funded Nanoscale Informal
Science Education (NISE) Network, which is a combination of exhibits and
resources aimed at educating the public about nanotechnology, and the NSF-
funded National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and
Engineering (NCLT), which offers education resources to help teachers with
nanotechnology-related concepts, simulations, and activities for the classroom.

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Another example of public education and outreach is the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences' Nanotechnology Webinar series.

This program brings the public, industrial hygienists, and public health
advocates into a web-based dialogue with nanotechnology subject matter
experts. Other outreach efforts, such as media roundtables, will also continue,
and the NNI will explore ways of building capacity for public engagement.

NNI Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related

Environmental, Health, and Safety Research

The Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of

the Committee on Technology, National Science and Technology Council
(NSTC) released the document Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related
Environmental, Health, and Safety Research (PDF), describing the NNI's
strategy for addressing priority research on environmental, health, and safety
(EHS) aspects of nanomaterials.

NNI Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Prioritization Report

The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), on behalf of the

Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the

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Committee on Technology, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
released the document Prioritization of Environmental, Health, and Safety
Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials (PDF). Read public
comments on EHS Prioritization.

FDA Nanotechnology Report Outlines Scientific, Regulatory Challenges

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s Nanotechnology Task Force's report
recommends that the agency consider developing guidance for manufacturers
and researchers and taking other steps to address the benefits and risks of drugs
and medical devices using nanotechnology.

ICON Online Journal for Risk Research

A new monthly online journal with citations and links to articles on the
environment and health impacts of nanotechnology is now available online. The
Virtual Journal of Nanotechnology Environment, Health & Safety (VJ-Nano EHS), was
developed to improve access to information in peer-reviewed scientific articles.

VJ-Nano EHS organizes the information contained in the EHS database into a
reader-friendly monthly journal format, primarily listing articles published
during the current month. The journal is a joint project between the International
Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) and Rice University's Center for Biological and
Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN), which also established its EHS database in
August 2005

Understanding Risk Assessment of Engineered Nanomaterials

How can we know what is a risk and what is not?

Risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials is the work of many scientists

today. And, as they will attest, evaluating risk is a complex process.In order to
help with assessing risk-related research, the National Nanotechnology

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Coordination Office commissioned an article called Understanding Risk
Assessment, written by a science journalist, Trudy Bell.

EPA White Paper on Nanotechnology

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Science Policy Council issued a

Nanotechnology White Paper (EPA/100/B-07/001, February 2007) on science
issues and needs associated with nanotechnology. This paper is a revision of the
peer-reviewed draft released and put out for public comment in December 2005.

For more information on the White Paper or to download a copy, please visit
the EPA website.EPA also has posted A Fact Sheet on Nanotechnology under
the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Public Views on EHS Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials

Participants at the public meeting on EHS Research

Needs held in Arlington, VA Approximately 150 people took part in the
National Nanotechnology Initiative's (NNI) Public Meeting on Research Needs
related to the Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered
Nanoscale Materials. The meeting was held January 4, 2007, in Arlington,
Virginia. Fifteen speakers, representing industry, academia, non-governmental
organizations, and risk assessment consulting organizations, addressed

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representatives of government agencies with responsibilities in the area of
nanotechnology.

 The complete news release

 Transcript from the meeting
 Presentations from the meeting
 Public comments

The agencies of the NNI had requested input on the research needs, identified in
a document published in September 2006, and on the prioritization criteria for
such research needs. (See NNI's EHS Research Needs). The public input will be
used to formulate the government's recommended priorities for safety-related
research on nanomaterials, which, in turn, will guide agencies and program
managers who fund research in the field.

NSET Document: Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs for

Engineered Nanoscale Materials

The Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET)

Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council's Committee on
Technology has released a document identifying environmental, health, and
safety (EHS) research and information needs related to understanding and
management of potential risks of engineered nanoscale materials. (PDF)

The document will be used by Federal agencies participating in the National

Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) to inform and guide research programs. It also
communicates to industry, universities, and other nongovernment research
entities approaches for obtaining the knowledge and understanding necessary to
enable risk assessment and management of nanomaterials. Read more.

Download Report (841 KB)

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Responsible development of nanotechnology includes supporting fundamental
discovery-based research as well as targeted research and other activities to
understand potential risks associated with the manufacture and use of
engineered nanoscale materials. Since the inception of the National
Nanotechnology Initiative, the participating agencies have supported research to
safely develop and apply nanotechnology for societal benefit and economic
growth as well as research to better protect public health and the environment.
By integrating the results of such research, the NNI aims to ensure the benefits
of this new technology are maximized within a coordinated research framework
that emphasizes understanding and prioritizing potential risks as well as the
means to manage such risks.

Nanotechnology-related environmental, health, and safety (EHS) research is an

essential component of the NNI's coordinated research framework. EHS
research is focused in particular on understanding general mechanisms of
biological interaction with nanomaterials and on developing broadly useful
tools and tests for characterizing and measuring nanomaterials in various
environments, including in the body. This research is to understand the effects
of address the potential implications of engineered, incidental, and natural
nanomaterials; remove contaminants from soil and water; and prepare for a new
generation of nanoproducts. Nanotechnology-related EHS research is also
informed and influenced by all other components of the broader NNI research
portfolio, including research on fundamental nanoscale phenomena and
processes; nanomaterials; nanoscale devices and systems; instrumentation,
metrology, and standards; nanomanufacturing; and societal dimensions (ethical,
legal, and other societal issues).

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 Funding Opportunities
Large industry currently supports about half of the R&D in nanotechnology in
the U.S.—about $2 billion per year. The other half comes from small business
and investors, as well as Federal, state and local governments.

Federal research grants are defined and awarded by individual government

departments and agencies, in accordance with their respective missions. Read
Current Solicitations for links to funding home pages for the departments and
agencies participating in the NNI. You can also use a new solicitation database
offered by the DOE Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies to learn about
opportunities for nanoscience research funding by Federal agencies.

In addition to grants are special programs designed to seed commercialization

activity that facilitates economic growth. These programs support small
business collaboration with universities and other research institutions. See
Funding Partnerships for an overview of these Federal government programs,
the largest of which are the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

Facilitating business partnerships, state and regional funding and a positive

business environment are goals of economic development initiatives that have
formed across the country specifically for nanotechnology

Funding
NNI research on environmental, health and safety (EHS) aspects of
nanomaterials has increased steadily. Between fiscal year (FY) 2005, the first
year for which estimates are available, and the President's request for 2009, the
NNI will invest an estimated $256 million in research that is primarily aimed at
understanding the risks posed by nanomaterials. This funding and
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corresponding effort to advance understanding of nanotechnology-related
environmental, health, and safety issues is leveraged by a significant amount of
additional investment in instrumentation, metrology, facilities, and fundamental
materials research. This research and other NNI activities are coordinated by the
Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) Working
Group under the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET)
Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council.

In FY 2009 EHS R&D funding ($76 million) is over double the level of actual
funding in 2005 ($35 million), the first year this data was collected. The steady
growth in EHS R&D spending follows the NNI strategy of expanding the
capacity to do high-quality research in this field. The proposed $76 million for
2009 does not include substantial research in instrumentation and metrology
and on fundamental interactions between biosystems and engineered nanoscale
materials, both of which are important in the performance and interpretation of
toxicological research. An indication of the level of funding for these broader
categories of nanotechnology-related EHS research may be deduced from the
detailed 2006 data collected and analyzed specifically for this purpose. This
data showed that the total funding for nanotechnology-related EHS research in
2006 was about $68 million, 80% higher than that reported for "primary
purpose research."

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 ADVANTAGES
Most inventions help us live a good daily life. Nanotechnology is a good
technological advance because of its positive benefits to pollution, money and
cost, food, and many more things. Nanotechnology could help fix many of our
problems that we encounter everyday

 Less Pollution:

The problem with past technologies is that they pollute the environment in
cases where we humans would die in years. A good example of a bad polluting
invention would be the automobile. The automobile ran on gas and the gas
fumes destroyed the ozone layer.

 Electricity:
At Purdue University and at the University of Chicago, engineers and
physicists have found that a new formation of liquid drops with gas could
make threads and wires. The wires and threads could be as small as a few
nanometers wide in width. The nano-wires and threads could make other
materials and create microscopic circuits as well as medical products.

 Low Production Costs:

Since the products that are able to be produced by nanotechnology will be

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manufactured billions at a time, the item can be affordable and effective at the
same time. The problem with storage and transportation will be eliminated. If
microscopic food was produced, everyone could purchase the item because of
its low cost. The low cost could also help us produce the daily things that we
need so that everyone will buy it everyday.

 Technology Itself:

With nanotechnology, we can have mini "super computers" that runs faster than
the one that a billion dollar corporation has. These computers will run so fast
that we might not ever need a faster computer

 Mass Production of Food & Consumables:

This will help end the epidemic of starvation with food left over to spare.
Instead of waiting for the rain to come, you can grow tons of food at once in a
small space.We can make medicine. For people that have long term sicknesses,
and have to take many different kinds of medicines, we can use nanotechnology
to shrink and combine the medicine so that the patient will not forget to take a
certain medication and so that the patient will not have to swallow multiple pills.

 War:

Usually, in a war, the side with the most advanced technology and weapons
will win. Using nanotechnology, we can build undetected microscopic spy
planes. The maximum amount of stealth will increase greatly for the side that
has that technology. People could build tracking devices, so small that when
you shake someone's hand, the device attaches onto them with out them even
feeling anything.

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 International Cooperation on Responsible
Development of Nanotechnology

NNI agencies and representatives participate in many international activities,

including bilateral and multilateral cooperative programs, monitoring of foreign
nanotechnology R&D, and promotion of the trade and commercial interests of
the United States. Cooperation and collaboration with other nations on
nanoscale science and technology R&D, particularly in pre-competitive and
non-competitive research areas, can further the progress of the NNI while
helping our international partners achieve their own goals. The United States
seeks to foster mutually beneficial relationships with other countries, in order to
establish a framework for the safe, secure, and responsible use of
nanotechnology worldwide.
In keeping with the NNI goal of supporting responsible development of
nanotechnology, international environmental, safety and security concerns
surrounding the use of nanotechnology-enabled products are appropriately
addressed by the global scientific community and relevant regulatory agencies.
Effective communication among scientists, regulators, policy makers,
consumers, industrial leaders, and othe rstakeholders also will be enhanced by
cooperation with international partners. The development of a healthy global
marketplace for nanotechnology products and ideas will require the
establishment of consumer confidence, common approaches to nanotechnology
environmental, health, and safety issues, efficient and effective regulatory
schemes, and equitable trade rpacies for nanotechnology, not just in the United
States, but worldwide.
The NSET Subcommittee's Global Issues in Nanotechnology (GIN) Working
Group coordinates international activities in nanotechnology, monitors foreign

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nanotechnology programs, and seeks to broaden international cooperation and
communication with respect to nanotechnology R&D. The working group has
representatives from all Federal agencies that have active nanotechnology R&D
programs as well as from numerous agencies that have oversight roles in
international affairs

NNI Research Centers

A highly significant impact of the NNI has been the focused investment by the
NNI-participating agencies in the establishment and development of
multidisciplinary research and education centers devoted to nanoscience and
nanotechnology. NNI agencies have developed an extensive infrastructure of
over 60 major interdisciplinary research and education centers and user
facilities across the country. Many such centers, with state of the art equipment
for nanoscale S&T research, are designated as user facilities and are available to
researchers from academia and the private sector, and to scientists at the
national laboratories.

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 NNI Centers and Networks of Excellence
Government funds for nanotechnology research have created some of the most
sophisticated nanoscience laboratories in the world. In addition to providing the
facilities, the National Nanotechnology Initiative also has created programs to
attract researchers across an array of disciplines and to facilitate discoveries.

Research at Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)

Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Image credit: Department of Energy

Centers and networks provide opportunities and support for multidisciplinary

research among investigators from a variety of disciplines and from different
research sectors, including academia, industry and government laboratories.

Such multidisciplinary research not only leads to advances in knowledge, but

also fosters relationships that enhance the transition of basic research results to
devices and other applications. All agency centers and networks created under
NNI auspices over the last seven years are listed here, organized by funding
agency.

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NIST Nanotech Center

NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology. Image credit: HDR
Architecture, Inc./Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing

Other Research Centers

Some centers and networks are collaborative efforts of several agencies. Among
them is the National Nanomanufacturing Network, established in 2007 and
scheduled to become fully operational in 2008, which is a partnership between
four NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers (NSEC), DOD
laboratories, and NIST. In addition, industry, business and professional
organizations are partnering in this effort for nanotechnology development.

Also in 2008, NSF will establish a new center on environmental health and
safety in 2008 and will expand national outreach activities at its nanotechnology
research and education networks: National Nanotechnology Infrastructure
Network, Network for Computational Nanotechnology, Nanotechnology in
Society Network, Nanoscale Center for Learning and Teaching,

Nanoscale Informal Science Education, Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Centers, National Nanomanufacturing Network, and Materials Research
Science and Education Centers.

A major milestone for DOE in 2008 is the start of full operations at the agency's
fifth Nanoscale Science Research Center (NSRC) user facility located at
Brookhaven National Laboratory. These five major user facilities are a primary

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component of the scientific infrastructure developed through the NNI. All five
DOE NSRCs are anticipated to be in full operation by the middle of FY 2008.

NIH continues to fund a network of nanotechnology research centers, supported

by both individual NIH institutes and the NIH-wide Nanomedicine Roadmap
Initiative. Centers' programs promote multidisciplinary research and
development that engage basic biological, physical science, clinical
perspectives and expertise, and leverage, and enhance the centers' investments.

The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) at NIST is now in
full operation. Initial work includes fundamental research that may be key to the
development of next-generation data storage devices. Other areas of emphasis
at NIST include nanomanufacturing and the development of standard reference
materials.

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 BIBLOGARPHY
• www.google.com
• www.nano.gov/html/funding/home_funding.html
• www.nano.gov/html/facts/home_facts.html
• www.nano.gov/html/facts/nanoapplicationsandproducts.html
• www.nano.gov/html/facts/home_facts.html

********

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