Nanotechnology in Automotive industries.

It is quiet obvious nowadays that nanotechnology and automotive industries are already inseparable in many aspects. Cars already come out on the market with numerous parts and technologies that involves nanotechnology such as paint, engine, windshields, and etc. These days, nanotechnology takes an important role in reducing weight of vehicles and preventing corrosion and promote lubrication of engine components. Even whenever I go to auto parts store, there are so many products with advertisement copy that says the products are made with latest nanotechnology. Among all those, the feature that captured my attention the most was using nanotechnology in surface coating.

Almost every car owner wants their car's paint to last shiny and clean forever, and according to a research conducted by Future Markets Inc., the market for nanotechnology in automotive paints and coatings is quiet substantial;"The overall world automotive paints and coatings market was estimated to be $7.75billion in 2010 and nanomaterials will play a key role in future growth..."

This is one example that shows how nanoparticles coat the surface yet maintains original texture of the material. By covering whole surfaces of the material without leaving any empty space between the coat and material, the paint does not crack due to the bend or scratches.

Another interesting example is self healing paint and film:





By using self assembling characteristic of nanoparticles, scratched surfaces can easily be fixed.
This gives me an interesting idea of making even more car parts using this technology so that the body or chassis itself could reassemble itself by using heat or electricity.


references :

"The Global Market for Nanocoatings in the Automotive Industry: Market Size, Applications, Nanomaterials and Companies." Future Markets, Inc, n.d. Web.

Week 2 : Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology in medicines

When I first heard about nanotechnology, the most interesting thing that captured my attention was its potential in medical uses. At that time I thought the illustration of the application was a bit cheesy; thousands or millions of nanobots fighting evil-looking germs in human body, however, after reading an article about nanotechnology in medicine application, I realized that the illustration was pretty close to actual application, or even more awesome.

One of the applications currently being developed is associated with nanoparticles that can deliver drugs to specific cells, and researchers say it can help cancer patients by delivering chemotheraphy drugs more accurately and directly, and also the technology can be an effective way of defeating viruses and treating brain injuries. Furthermore, cell repairing nanorobots that can be programmed and function in a similar way to antibodies in our natural healing processes are going to be used in a near future, according to Bachelet, previously of Harvard's Wyss Institute and faculty member at Israel's Bar-llan University.


-Nanobots that are being developed by Wyss Institute-

The most fascinating aspect about the use of nanotechnology in medicine for me was not only about its effectiveness but also the possibility of reducing the cost medical treatment. Right now I can only imagine people simply going into a pharmacy and buying a pill that has nanobots inside to cure cancer or HIV, but I am still excited to see where the current developments' progress is and how close it is to make my imagination become a reality.



Works cited

Dorrier, Jason. "Can DNA Nanobots Successfully Treat Cancer Patients? First Human Trial Soon - Singularity HUB." Singularity HUB. N.p., 08 Jan. 2015. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.

"Nanotechnology in Medicine - Nanomedicine." Nanotechnology in Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.