Small wonder: An artist’s view of a nanomachine in the blood stream

A mobile phone so small that even an ant can use it...,? goes a commercial that highlights the shift from macro to micro, from micro to nano. Science has become more sophisticated and has naturally entered the realm of what is arbitrarily labelled as nanotechnology.

It is a technology that creates small materials on the scale of molecules by manipulating single atoms. The term ?nano? comes from the size of molecules measured in nanometres, or one billionth of a metre (0.000000001 metre).

The term nanotechnology was coined by a professor in Tokyo Science University, Norio Taniguchi, in 1974 to describe the precision manufacture of materials with nanometre tolerances. In 1986, the term was reinvented and expanded by K. Eric Drexler in the book Engines of Creation to apply to the manipulation of matter on the scale of the nanometre.

The synergetic effect of nanotechnology is the magic mantra for the millennium. Its goal is to control individual atoms and molecules to create computer chips and other devices that are a thousand times smaller than current technologies permit. Beyond being used in computers, communication and medical related devices, nanotechnology can be used to design other products, change the properties of materials and make advances in biotechnology.

What do I have to do?

Nanotechnology professionals cover a broad framework from fact to fiction or from science to entertainment. This field impacts all aspects of the industry like solar energy, aerospace, environment, telecommunications, computing etc.

You can work in the following capacities: systems designer; scientist; academic; biotechnologist; research officer; product designer. Nanotechnology has been widely used in movies and tele-series like X-Files, Terminator-3, Star Trek, Hulk, etc and in video games like System Shock Series, Planetside Nanites, Invisible War, etc.

What should I study?

You should have an open and enquiring mind as well as sound analytical and computer programming skills (simulation and algorithm).

Nanotechnology, as a bachelors course, is not offered at any reputed institute in India. The best route to research in nanotechnology is engineering or postgraduation in physics or chemistry. The IITs are considering starting a BTech in this field. As it is a multidisciplinary and applied field, an MTech in mechanical, chemical, electronic, biotechnology, computer science, etc., or an MSc in physics, chemistry, material science, biotechnology, computer science etc., qualifies you for most PhD programmes.

What next?

Larry Bock, CEO of Nanosys, who helped launch more than a dozen successful biotech companies in his career, believes that nanotechnology will impact even more industries than biotechnology. ?A single chemistry graduate can devise architectures not even imaginable or manufacturable by today?s biggest microprocessor companies,? he says.

Nanotechnology is an enabling technology that is being used in many industries. So, if you are not doing basic research in one of the many university-based or government-funded research programmes, you could work in a biotech company on a nanoparticle-based molecular system for detecting biological warfare agents or fabricating miniature systems for medical diagnostics.

Opportunities also exist in large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies where one can work on a new therapeutic drug or a novel drug delivery process.

Engineers from most disciplines will find employment in nanotechnology. Mechanical engineers design, produce, and test machines, instruments, controls, engines, and mechanical, thermal, hydraulic, or heat transfer systems. By 2020, scientists at Rutgers University believe that nano-sized robots will be injected into the bloodstream so that they can administer a drug directly to an infected cell.

Chemical engineers perform a variety of functions in the field of nanotechnology. These are: synthesis; functionalisation, characterisation, and optimisation of materials. They develop nanomaterial assembly processes, create test protocols and prepare reports. Materials engineers design methods to change natural substances into new, stronger, and more resistant materials with unique properties.

If you?re interested in nanotechnology, but don?t want to be a scientist or an engineer, there are still plenty of opportunities in sales, marketing, business development, legal and administrative areas.