JIMMA UNIVERSITY

FRESHMAN SOCIAL SCIENCE

FACULTY OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATICS
ASSIGNMENT OF INTRODUCTION TO EMERGING
TECHNOLOGY

GROUP MEMBER ID NO
1. ABDUREHIM MUSTEFA……………………………RU/3808/13
2. ABREHAM NEGA ……………………………………RU/3001/12
3. AMARE TAYE………………………………………...RU/
4. BIRUKTAWIT FEKADU…………………………….RU/2893/12
5. DAGIM ABREHAM…………………………………..RU/2388/13
6. NURU JEMAL…………………………………………RU1675/13

SUBMISSION DATE- FEBRURAY 2022

INSTRUCTOR –SOFONIYAS

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 Table of contents

1. What is Nano Technology………………………………………..3

2. Application in Agriculture……………………………………….4
3. Application in Medicine…………………………………………..5
4. Application in Energy…………………………………………….6
5. Application of Nano Technology…...............................................8
6. Advantage and Disadvantage of Nano Technology……………..9
7. References………………………………………………………….10

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 Nano Technology

What Is Nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the Nano scale, which is about 1 to 100
nanometers. Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular,
and super scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the
particular technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for fabrication of macro scale
products, also now referred to as molecular nanotechnology.  A more generalized description of nanotechnology
was subsequently established by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which defined nanotechnology as the
manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. This definition reflects the fact
that quantum mechanical effects are important at this quantum-realm scale, and so the definition shifted from a
particular technological goal to a research category inclusive of all types of research and technologies that deal
with the special properties of matter which occur below the given size threshold. It is therefore common to see the
plural form "nanotechnologies" as well as "Nano scale technologies" to refer to the broad range of research and
applications whose common trait is size.

Nano science and nanotechnology are the study and application of extremely small things and can be used across
all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering.

How It Started

The ideas and concepts behind Nano science and nanotechnology started with a talk entitled “There’s Plenty of
Room at the Bottom” by physicist Richard Feynman at an American Physical Society meeting at the California
Institute of Technology (CalTech) on December 29, 1959, long before the term nanotechnology was used. In his
talk, Feynman described a process in which scientists would be able to manipulate and control individual atoms
and molecules. Over a decade later, in his explorations of ultra-precision machining, Professor Norio Taniguchi
coined the term nanotechnology. It wasn't until 1981, with the development of the scanning tunneling microscope
that could "see" individual atoms that modern nanotechnology began.

“What would happen if we could arrange the atoms one by one the way we want them?” asked Richard Feynman, a
well-known American physicist, in his speech during the meeting of the American Physical Society in 29
December 1959.1 This idea eventually became a research field known as nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology has great potential as it can enhance the quality of life through its applications in various fields
like agriculture and the food system. In a world where the human population is growing rapidly, and agriculture

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industry is facing challenges such as stagnation in crop yields, low nutrient use efficiency, declining soil organic
matter, multi-nutrient deficiencies, climate change, shrinking arable land and water availability, post-harvest losses
and shortage of labor and thereby food security is a very important problem in near future. Now, increasing
agricultural production efficiency and decreasing post-harvest wastage using novel scientific researches such as
nanotechnology in products could be counted as the best solution to this problem. Nanotechnology using of
particular characteristics of nanoparticles can be a very useful technology in all science and industry branches. So
now a lot of usage of nanotechnology in agricultural science has been founded. In relation with crop production,
crop protection, storage, post-harvest shelf life and marketing, nanotechnology can help us in some grounds like
balanced crop nutrition, effective pest, disease and weed control, water management, product quality maintenance,
product tracking and labeling, precision agriculture and agricultural waste management.

  Application of Nanotechnology on Agricultural

Nanotechnology is also applied to prevent waste in agriculture, particularly in the cotton industry. When cotton is
processed into fabric or garment, some of the cellulose or the fibers are discarded as waste or used for low-value
products such as cotton balls, yarns and cotton batting. With the use of newly-developed solvents and a technique
called electro spinning, scientists produce 100 nanometer-diameter fibers that can be used as a fertilizer or
pesticide absorbent. These high-performance absorbents allow targeted application at desired time and location.8

Ethanol production from maize feed stocks has increased the global price of maize in the past two years. Cellulosic
feed stocks are now regarded as a viable option for biofuels production and nanotechnology can also enhance the
performance of enzymes used in the conversion of cellulose into ethanol. Scientists are working on Nano-
engineered enzymes that will allow simple and cost-effective conversion of cellulose from waste plant parts into
ethanol.9

Rice husk, a rice-milling byproduct can be used as a source of renewable energy. When rice husk is burned into
thermal energy or biofuel, a large amount of high-quality Nano silica is produced which can be further utilized in
making other materials such as glass and concrete. Since there is a continuous source of rice husk, mass production
of Nano silica through nanotechnology can alleviate the growing rice husk disposal concern.10

  Nanotech Delivery Systems for Pests, Nutrients, and Plant Hormones

Nano sensors and Nano-based smart delivery systems could help in the efficient use of agricultural natural
resources like water, nutrients and chemicals through precision farming. Through the use of nanomaterials and
global positioning systems with satellite imaging of fields, farm managers could remotely detect crop pests or
evidence of stress such as drought. Once pest or drought is detected, there would be automatic adjustment of
pesticide applications or irrigation levels. Nano sensors dispersed in the field can also detect the presence of plant

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viruses and the level of soil nutrients. Nano encapsulated slow release fertilizers have also become a trend to save
fertilizer consumption and to minimize environmental pollution.11

Nano barcodes and Nano processing could also be used to monitor the quality of agricultural produce. Scientists at
Cornell University used the concept of grocery barcodes for cheap, efficient, rapid and easy decoding and detection
of diseases. They produced microscopic probes or Nano barcodes that could tag multiple pathogens in a farm
which can easily be detected using any fluorescent-based equipment. This on-going project generally aims to
develop a portable on-site detector which can be used by non-trained individuals. The project, in cooperation with
the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to be completed towards the end of 2011.

Through nanotechnology, scientists are able to study plant’s regulation of hormones such as auxin, which is
responsible for root growth and seedling establishment. Scientists at Purdue University developed a nano sensor
that reacts with auxin. This interaction generates an electrical signal which can be a basis for measuring auxin
concentration at a particular point. The nano sensor oscillates, taking auxin concentration readings at various points
of the root. A system of formulas then verifies if auxin is absorbed or released by the surrounding cells. This is a
breakthrough in auxin research because it helps scientists understand how plant roots adapt to their environment,
especially to marginal soils.

APPLICATIONS OF NANOMATERIALS IN MEDICINE

These applications include fluorescent biological labels, drug and gene delivery, bio-detection of pathogens,
detection of protein, probing of DNA structure, tissue engineering, tumor detection, separation and purification of
biological molecules and cells, MRI contrast enhancement and phatokinetic studies.

The long-term goal of Nano medicine research is to characterize the quantitative molecular-scale components
known as Nano machinery. Precise control and manipulation of Nano machinery in cells can lead to better
understanding of the cellular mechanisms in living cells, and to the development of advanced technologies, for the
early diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. The significance of this research lies in the development of a
platform technology that will influence Nano scale imaging approaches designed to probe molecular mechanisms
in living cells. Molecular imaging has emerged as a powerful tool to visualize molecular events of an underlying
disease, sometimes prior to its downstream manifestation. The merging of nanotechnology with molecular imaging
provides a versatile platform for the novel design of Nano probes that will have tremendous potential to enhance
the sensitivity, specificity and signaling capabilities of various biomarkers in human diseases.

Nanoparticle probes can endow imaging techniques with enhanced signal sensitivity, better spatial resolution and
the ability to relay information on biological systems at molecular and cellular levels. Simple magnetic
nanoparticles can function as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhancement probes. These magnetic

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nanoparticles can then serve as a core platform for the addition of other functional moieties including fluorescence
tags, radionuclides and other biomolecules, for multimodal imaging, gene delivery and cellular trafficking. An
(MRI) with hybrid probes of magnetic nanoparticles and adenovirus can detect target cells and monitor gene
delivery and expression of green fluorescent proteins optically. Nuclear techniques such as positron-emission
tomography (PET) potentially provide detection sensitivities of higher magnitude, enabling the use of nanoparticles
at lower concentrations than permitted by routine MRI. Furthermore, a combination of the high sensitivity of PET
with the anatomical detail provided by computed tomography (CT) in hybrid imaging, has the potential to map
signals to atherosclerotic vascular territories. Molecular imaging always requires accumulation of the contrast
agent in the target site, and this can be achieved more efficiently by steering nanoparticles containing the contrast
agent into the target. This entails accessing target molecules hidden behind tissue barriers, necessitating the use of
targeting groups. For imaging modalities with low sensitivity, nanoparticles bearing multiple contrast groups
provide signal amplification. The same nanoparticles can, in principle, deliver both the contrast medium and the
drug, allowing monitoring of the bio-distribution and therapeutic activity simultaneously (referred to as
theranostics). Such Nano fiber-based scaffolds are available in a wide range of pore size distribution, high porosity
and high surface area-to-volume ratio. Such a wide range of parameters are favorable for cell attachment, growth
and proliferation, and also provide a basis for the future optimization of an electro spun Nano fibrous scaffold in a
tissue-engineering application.

Nanotechnology in Energy

Nanotechnologies provide the potential to enhance energy efficiency across all branches of industry and to
economically leverage renewable energy production through new technological solutions and optimized production
technologies. Nanotechnology innovations could impact each part of the value-added chain in the energy sector:

Energy sources

Nanotechnologies provide essential improvement potentials for the development of both conventional energy
sources (fossil and nuclear fuels) and renewable energy sources like geothermal energy, sun, wind, water, tides or
biomass. Nano-coated, wear resistant drill probes, for example, allow the optimization of lifespan and efficiency of
systems for the development of oil and natural gas deposits or geothermal energy and thus the saving of costs.
Further examples are high-duty nanomaterial’s for lighter and more rugged rotor blades of wind and tide power
plants as well as wear and corrosion protection layers for mechanically stressed components (bearings, gear boxes,
etc.). Nanotechnologies will play a decisive role in particular in the intensified use of solar energy through
photovoltaic systems. In case of conventional crystalline silicon solar cells, for instance, increases in efficiency are
achievable by antireflection layers for higher light yield.
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First and foremost, however, it will be the further development of alternative cell types, such as thin-layer solar
cells (among others of silicon or other material systems like copper/indium/selenium), dye solar cells or polymer
solar cells, which will predominantly profit from nanotechnologies. Polymer solar cells are said to have high
potential especially regarding the supply of portable electronic devices, due to the reasonably-priced materials and
production methods as well as the flexible design. Medium-term development targets are an efficiency of approx.
10% and a lifespan of several years. Here, for example, nanotechnologies could contribute to the optimization of
the layer design and the morphology of organic semiconductor mixtures in component structures. In the long run,
the utilization of nanostructures, like quantum dots and wires, could allow for solar cell efficiencies of over 60%.

Energy conversion

The conversion of primary energy sources into electricity, heat and kinetic energy requires utmost efficiency.
Efficiency increases, especially in fossil-fired gas and steam power plants, could help avoid considerable amounts
of carbon dioxide emissions.

Higher power plant efficiencies, however, require higher operating temperatures and thus heat-resistant turbine
materials. Improvements are possible, for example, through Nano-scale heat and corrosion protection layers for
turbine blades in power plants or aircraft engines to enhance the efficiency through increased operating
temperatures or the application of lightweight construction materials (e.g. titanium aluminides).

Nano-optimized membranes can extend the scope of possibilities for separation and climate-neutral storage of
carbon dioxide for power generation in coal-fired power plants, in order to render this important method of power
generation environmentally friendlier in the long run. The energy yield from the conversion of chemical energy
through fuel cells can be stepped up by Nano-structured electrodes, catalysts and membranes, which results in
economic application possibilities in automobiles, buildings and the operation of mobile electronics.

Thermoelectric energy conversion seems to be comparably promising. Nano-structured semiconductors with

optimized boundary layer design contribute to increases in efficiency that could pave the way for a broad
application in the utilization of waste heat, for example in automobiles, or even of human body heat for portable
electronics in textiles.

Energy distribution

Regarding the reduction of energy losses in current transmission, hope exists that the extraordinary electric
conductivity of nanomaterial like carbon nanotubes can be utilized for application in electric cables and power
lines. Furthermore, there are Nano technological approaches for the optimization of superconductive materials for
lossless current conduction.
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In the long run, options are given for wireless energy transport, e.g. through laser, microwaves or electromagnetic
resonance. Future power distribution will require power systems providing dynamic load and failure management,
demand-driven energy supply with flexible price mechanisms as well as the possibility of feeding through a
number of decentralized renewable energy sources.

Nanotechnologies could contribute decisively to the realization of this vision, inter alia, through Nano-sensory
devices and power-electronic components able to cope with the extremely complex control and monitoring of such
grids.

Energy storage

The utilization of nanotechnologies for the enhancement of electrical energy stores like batteries and super-
capacitors turns out to be downright promising. Due to the high cell voltage and the outstanding energy and power
density, the lithium-ion technology is regarded as the most promising variant of electrical energy storage.

Nanotechnologies can improve capacity and safety of lithium-ion batteries decisively, as for example through new
ceramic, heat-resistant and still flexible separators and high-performance electrode materials. The company Evonik
pushes the commercialization of such systems for the application in hybrid and electric vehicles as well as for
stationary energy storage.

In the long run, even hydrogen seems to be a promising energy store for environmentally-friendly energy supply.
Apart from necessary nanostructure adjustments, the efficient storage of hydrogen is regarded as one of the critical
factors of success on the way to a possible hydrogen management.

Current materials for chemical hydrogen storage do not meet the demands of the automotive industry, which
requires a hydrogen-storage capacity of up to ten weight percent.

Various nanomaterials’s inter alia based on Nano porous metal-organic compounds; provide development
potentials, which seem to be economically realizable at least with regard to the operation of fuel cells in portable
electronic devices.

Another important field is thermal energy storage. The energy demand in buildings, for example, may be
significantly reduced by using phase change materials such as latent heat stores. Interesting, from an economic
point of view, are also adsorption stores based on Nano porous materials like zeolites, which could be applied as
heat stores in district heating grids or in industry. The adsorption of water in zeolite allows the reversible storage
and release of heat.

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Energy usage

To achieve sustainable energy supply, and parallel to the optimized development of available energy sources, it is
necessary to improve the efficiency of energy use and to avoid unnecessary energy consumption. This applies to all
branches of industry and private households. Nanotechnologies provide a multitude of approaches to energy
saving.

Examples are the reduction of fuel consumption in automobiles through lightweight construction materials on the
basis of Nano composites, the optimization in fuel combustion through wear-resistant, lighter engine components
and Nano particular fuel additives or even nanoparticles for optimized tires with low rolling resistance.

Considerable energy savings are realizable through tri bological layers for mechanical components in plants and
machines. Building technology also provides great potentials for energy savings, which could be tapped, for
example, by nonporous thermal insulation material suitably applicable in the energetic rehabilitation of old
buildings.

In general, the control of light and heat flux by Nano technological components, as for example switchable glasses,
is a promising approach to reducing energy consumption in buildings.

Food Industry

Nanoparticles like Silver mixed with polymers are being used to enhance the quality of food packaging material
thereby increasing its shelf life. making it last longer and taste better. Furthermore, “smart packaging”, through
which biological changes occurring in the food are detected is also one of the significant applications of
Nanotechnology.  Keeping in mind the assurance of food safety, various applications of nanotechnology are
involved in agriculture and agri-business. The importance of nanotechnology in food processing can be evaluated
by considering its role in the improvement of food products in terms of

Food texture,

Food appearance,

Food taste

Nutritional value of the food, and

Food shelf-life.

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Electronics and Devices

With the advancement in technology, we have shifted from bulky Television sets and mobile phones to sleek TV
sets and smartphones. Moreover, with the use of nanomaterial like Grapheme, thin, lightweight, better quality TV
screens which also consume less power have been invented!

Textiles and Fabrics

To make a piece of cloth wearable, wrinkle and odor-free across seasons, specialized fabrics with Nano-
sized Silver and Titanium particles are being used. This has led to the production of lightweight, thin and
breathable fabrics. The other applications of Nanotechnology in this industry include making fabrics stain-resistant
and improving durability.

Automobiles 

The automobile industry has seen a paradigm shift in the past decade. Every now and then, new four- and two-
wheeler models are launched which work on extra-edge technology. This is yet another industry where the
applications of Nanotechnology are visible. Various polymer Nano composites like Natural Rubber-Organically
have been used in tires to make them abrasion-resistant. Furthermore, adding nanoparticles like tungsten Nano
spheres to car fluids has enhanced their mechanical properties.

The Advantages and Disadvantage of Nano Technology

Nano Technology offers the potential for new and faster kinds of computers, more efficient power sources and life-
saving medical treatments. Potential disadvantages include economic disruption and possible threats to security,
privacy, health and the environment.

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 References:

1.  Nanovision: Engineering the Future. 2008.C. Milburn. Duke University Press.

2. Overview and Implications of Nanotechnology. 2008. M. Roco.
http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/20080618Roco.pdf.
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http://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1134
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5. From Molecular to Macroscopic via the Rational Design of a Self-assembled 3D DNA Crystal. 2009. N. C.
Seeman, et. Al. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature08274.
6.  Nanotechnology for Parasitic Plant Control. 2009. A. Perea-de-Lugue and D. Rubiales. Pest Management
Science Journal. DOI: 10.1002/ps.1732.
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