It cannot be said that it is a strangeness: in the world of science, nanotechnology was enunciated for the first time in 1959, when the North American physicist and Nobel prize winner, Richard Feynman, described its qualities at the California Institute of Technology. Since then, there have been various advances until its current consolidation. Hand in hand with new technologies, this area of ​​knowledge is reaching its peak: it is estimated that by 2024 the market will be around US$125 billion, according to Research & Markets, The world’s largest market research store.

But, how is nanotechnology defined? It is defined as a branch of technology that deals with manipulating the subatomic and molecular structure of materials in order to change some of their intrinsic properties to obtain another property that can be applied to a certain field.

To do so, it is necessary to manipulate particles smaller than 100 nanometers (considering that each nanometer is one billionth of a meter) and develop materials or devices of that size, finer than a human hair and invisible to the human eye. From chips with extremely precise circuits at the atomic level, to molecules that could travel through the human body to unclog an artery or repair a wound without direct medical intervention.

Everything but smaller

The best-known applications of nanotechnology are linked to the world of electronics and computing: more efficient carbon nanotubes to develop smaller and faster devices or quantum nanowires for greater resistance and conductivity.

But this is just the tip of an iceberg that could revolutionize all industries. In the health industry, for example, it is being used to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases or even cancer: nanocells have the ability to selectively attack cells that are damaged, without causing any impact. Nanoparticles are also applied to make medicine and treatments more efficient, since they «travel» directly to the core of the problem.

Dentistry, for its part, is already advancing with different models of dental implants supported by nanotechnology that adapt perfectly to the needs of each patient and even provide solutions that are impossible to deliver with traditional tools.

Industry by industry

The textile industry is betting on smart fabrics that do not stain or wrinkle. Automotive companies are looking for lighter and stronger materials to build cars that are safer and, at the same time, easier to drive. 

Agriculture uses this technology to generate food resistant to pathogens. Mass consumption, to reduce the transfer of oxygen into the interior of the packaged products. 

The cosmetic industry (one of the industries that most applies nanotechnology in the world) uses it to improve the properties and stability of its products, as well as to control the filtration of ultraviolet radiation and the release of active substances on skin care.

Construction companies developed self-cleaning paints, while the energy industry developed more efficient materials for solar panels and windmills.

The examples are countless and any list that is intended to be made will be arbitrary and incomplete: it is a technological revolution that knows no limits.

The future under the microscope

There are two work models in nanotechnology: the ‘’descending’’ or top down model that consists of miniaturizing a structure on a nanometric scale (the most common nowadays), and the ‘’ascending’’ or bottom up model that starts with a nanometric structure and ends up constituting a larger mechanism. There are also «dry» initiatives (silicon, metals, semiconductors) and «wet» initiatives (genetic material, enzymes, membranes).

Nanotechnology comes to teach us that no matter how big our problem is: sometimes, the best solution comes in a small package.