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Tiny particles hit the big time
Products that use nanotechnology, from TV screens to water filters, are coming to the market faster than ever before
Artist's impression of a carbon nanotube. Image: Digital Art/Corbis
Five years ago, the chances were that you wouldn't be able to name a single commercially viable nanotechnology. Today products incorporating innovations at the nano-scale are entering the market at a rate of four per week, according to the Project On Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). New energy and environmental applications are multiplying their share and researchers say they could become necessary in the fight against climate change.
Andrew Maynard at PEN says: "There is a lot of interest in doing things differently and not repeating the mistakes of the past. This time we want to make nanotechnology green from the outset."
Lux Research, which analyses emerging technologies, found that of the $750m (£420m) of venture funding being pumped into the nanotechnology field (materials constructed at a scale of 100 nanometres or smaller) almost a third was going into green innovations.
Think small
Green innovations in the laboratory could significantly reduce hazardous waste chemicals. At Iowa State University, Victor Lin has been using silica nanoparticles to synthesise biodiesel from vegetable oil. Inserting catalysts inside the nanoparticles resulted in waste products that could be recycled more easily than those used in traditional methods.
Green nanotechnologies come in a variety of shapes, but one almost universal trait is that the materials make better use of the space they take up. Carbon nanotubes - in effect, atom-thin sheets of graphite rolled up into a tube - are stronger than steel but incredibly light, so they reduce energy consumption if used in cars or aircraft.
"Typically in the solar industry, you have these huge municipal installations which cost double what you would normally pay on the grid, and are therefore subsidised," says Erik Oldekop of NanoSolar. "Even thin-film cells use slow and expensive vacuum production processes and are then deposited on to glass and steel."
NanoSolar avoids all these costs by printing a nanoparticle ink directly onto a substrate, which can then be used to collect energy. It delivers energy efficiencies that he hopes will make solar power as cheap as the competing fossil fuel technologies.
"We are shipping now and sold out for the foreseeable future," says Oldekop. While NanoSolar is not selling to the residential market, in theory nano ink could one day be used to print solar cells directly from a desktop computer.
Water filtration is another area that is using nanotechnology. "Two years ago investors weren't interested in a water filter that could be made for $1 per person per year," says Lisa Farmen of Crystal Clear Technologies. Now her company has $1.2m in seed capital and has developed a water filtration technology that uses nano-porous minerals to absorb heavy metals, bacteria, viruses and petroleum-based hydrocarbons, all in one filter. When the absorptive layer has been filled up, a new layer is poured on top." Says Farmen: "We hope it will be a low-cost water filtration technology that will be affordable by most of the world's population."
A hidden advantage of Crystal Clear's filter is that the zeolite minerals have smaller particles than their non-engineered cousins. More atoms at the surface and fewer inside means a greater surface area for pollutants to react with. Farmen says: "Even if the river is polluted, you can go straight to the river."
Johnson Matthey is a UK company which specialises in oil and chemical refining but has recently moved into hydrogen fuel cells. Its catalysts and membranes are built from nanoparticles which increase the surface area available for chemical reactions inside fuel cells.
"Our core components provide some of the best power densities on the market," says Martin Green of Johnson Matthey. "Honda, General Motors, Toyota and Hyundai are all bringing hydrogen-powered fleets to market before 2010, and we're involved with many of them," he says, adding: "The residential market is another sector being looked into."
Another application will be as a backup energy source for telecoms companies. "If there's a power outage, you will be able to switch to a bank of clean fuel cells and a bottle of hydrogen," says Green. "This is a huge improvement over current technology, essentially banks of car batteries."
Is it safe?
There is still uncertainty about the health risks. Maynard says: "Because of the sophisticated structure of nanoparticles their behaviour is different. And with a release of nanoparticles, they're so small they can get to places larger particles couldn't get to." He cautions: "There is a lack of information in society about the actual risks of nanotechnology. People have a voice and if decisions are based on misinformation we could all lose."
Kodak's organic LED display is an example of nanotechnology already being used in a consumer product. Kodak has nano-engineered a luminescent material that removes the need for backlighting in television screens and handheld devices.
As with the other innovations, OLED is cutting the cost of materials and increasing energy efficiency. The colour quality and luminescence are apparently unmatched by existing screens, plus they can be rolled up if required. The first televisions to incorporate OLED nanotechnology are in the stores now. And that's just one of the many products that will be finding their way to market.
James Bloom
The Guardian, Thursday September 4 2008
guardian.co.uk
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
Products that use nanotechnology, from TV screens to water filters, are coming to the market faster than ever before
Artist's impression of a carbon nanotube. Image: Digital Art/Corbis
Five years ago, the chances were that you wouldn't be able to name a single commercially viable nanotechnology. Today products incorporating innovations at the nano-scale are entering the market at a rate of four per week, according to the Project On Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). New energy and environmental applications are multiplying their share and researchers say they could become necessary in the fight against climate change.
Andrew Maynard at PEN says: "There is a lot of interest in doing things differently and not repeating the mistakes of the past. This time we want to make nanotechnology green from the outset."
Lux Research, which analyses emerging technologies, found that of the $750m (£420m) of venture funding being pumped into the nanotechnology field (materials constructed at a scale of 100 nanometres or smaller) almost a third was going into green innovations.
Think small
Green innovations in the laboratory could significantly reduce hazardous waste chemicals. At Iowa State University, Victor Lin has been using silica nanoparticles to synthesise biodiesel from vegetable oil. Inserting catalysts inside the nanoparticles resulted in waste products that could be recycled more easily than those used in traditional methods.
Green nanotechnologies come in a variety of shapes, but one almost universal trait is that the materials make better use of the space they take up. Carbon nanotubes - in effect, atom-thin sheets of graphite rolled up into a tube - are stronger than steel but incredibly light, so they reduce energy consumption if used in cars or aircraft.
"Typically in the solar industry, you have these huge municipal installations which cost double what you would normally pay on the grid, and are therefore subsidised," says Erik Oldekop of NanoSolar. "Even thin-film cells use slow and expensive vacuum production processes and are then deposited on to glass and steel."
NanoSolar avoids all these costs by printing a nanoparticle ink directly onto a substrate, which can then be used to collect energy. It delivers energy efficiencies that he hopes will make solar power as cheap as the competing fossil fuel technologies.
"We are shipping now and sold out for the foreseeable future," says Oldekop. While NanoSolar is not selling to the residential market, in theory nano ink could one day be used to print solar cells directly from a desktop computer.
Water filtration is another area that is using nanotechnology. "Two years ago investors weren't interested in a water filter that could be made for $1 per person per year," says Lisa Farmen of Crystal Clear Technologies. Now her company has $1.2m in seed capital and has developed a water filtration technology that uses nano-porous minerals to absorb heavy metals, bacteria, viruses and petroleum-based hydrocarbons, all in one filter. When the absorptive layer has been filled up, a new layer is poured on top." Says Farmen: "We hope it will be a low-cost water filtration technology that will be affordable by most of the world's population."
A hidden advantage of Crystal Clear's filter is that the zeolite minerals have smaller particles than their non-engineered cousins. More atoms at the surface and fewer inside means a greater surface area for pollutants to react with. Farmen says: "Even if the river is polluted, you can go straight to the river."
Johnson Matthey is a UK company which specialises in oil and chemical refining but has recently moved into hydrogen fuel cells. Its catalysts and membranes are built from nanoparticles which increase the surface area available for chemical reactions inside fuel cells.
"Our core components provide some of the best power densities on the market," says Martin Green of Johnson Matthey. "Honda, General Motors, Toyota and Hyundai are all bringing hydrogen-powered fleets to market before 2010, and we're involved with many of them," he says, adding: "The residential market is another sector being looked into."
Another application will be as a backup energy source for telecoms companies. "If there's a power outage, you will be able to switch to a bank of clean fuel cells and a bottle of hydrogen," says Green. "This is a huge improvement over current technology, essentially banks of car batteries."
Is it safe?
There is still uncertainty about the health risks. Maynard says: "Because of the sophisticated structure of nanoparticles their behaviour is different. And with a release of nanoparticles, they're so small they can get to places larger particles couldn't get to." He cautions: "There is a lack of information in society about the actual risks of nanotechnology. People have a voice and if decisions are based on misinformation we could all lose."
Kodak's organic LED display is an example of nanotechnology already being used in a consumer product. Kodak has nano-engineered a luminescent material that removes the need for backlighting in television screens and handheld devices.
As with the other innovations, OLED is cutting the cost of materials and increasing energy efficiency. The colour quality and luminescence are apparently unmatched by existing screens, plus they can be rolled up if required. The first televisions to incorporate OLED nanotechnology are in the stores now. And that's just one of the many products that will be finding their way to market.
James Bloom
The Guardian, Thursday September 4 2008
guardian.co.uk
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
