Introduction

Till the last decade, a product produced on a billionth of a meter was a future game altogether. With the advent of UV (ultra violet ray) absorbing nanopowders for sun-blocking creams, nanostructured powders for coatings or paints, hard disks with nanostructured surfaces for ultra high-density recording and storage, the predictions of nanotechnologists have come true. In a span of another 5-6 years Nanotechnology will rule over all aspects of industry ranging from Information Technology, Pharmaceutical FMCG, Biotechnology and much more than one can imagine at a Micro and Macro level.

What is Nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is a hybrid science combining engineering and chemistry. Nano sciences and technology, deals with minuscule particles in nature, things smaller than 100 nanometers and create things with the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules. Nanotechnology and Nanoscience are concerned with materials science and its application at the nanometer scale (1 billionth of a meter). Nanotechnology as the term itself testifies is not a specific area of science. It encompasses a set of technologies, techniques and processes that works in crosswords of quantum physics, molecular chemistry, material science, and molecular biology. Nano is 10-9 and a nanometre is a billionth of a metre. A nanometre is equal to 10 hydrogen atoms lined up in a row; a white blood cell is huge by comparison: it is 10,000 nanometres in diameter. To illustrate this would reach 1 millimetre if we lined up 100 such white blood cells. In human dimensions, one nanometre is 75,000 times smaller than the width of a hair. Nearly all the most vital industrial sectors can be dramatically changed by the potentiality of nanotechnology.

Target Audience

The symposium on Nanotechnology has been engineered by taking into perspective industrial houses, which deal with Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Automobile desiring to introduce products involving Nanotechnology. CEO’s, Managing directors, R&D managers, innovation managers, designers, marketing and brand managers, technologists, research organizations, academicians and students who want to familiarize themselves with the salient features of Nanotechnology should attend this seminar.

Topics to be discussed in the symposium

Nanotechnology and FMCG

• Food packaging
• Prolonging shelf life
• Antimicrobial packaging
• Interactive packaging
• To detect the freshness of foods
• Anti-microbial packaging materials
• Fabric coated with nanotech engineered molecules that shed stains

· Agricultural purposes

• Nanoscale monitors could be linked to recording and tracking devices to monitor temperature changes
• To detect for pesticides and genetically modified crops within foodstuffs
• Developments in crop DNA technology will allow the industry to predict, control and improve agricultural products

· Sports

• Tennis racket that can "cup" a ball on impact -- giving the player a bit more control.
• Golf ball whose rotational speed is reduced through the use of nanomaterials.
• A sock that can absorb odor through imbedded nanoparticles of silver embedded in the cloth. These particles can break down agents in your sweat that leave behind nasty foot odor.

Domestic Goods

• Nanostructured materials like super strong nanocomposites or self-cleaning nanocoatings already are big business
• Nanotechnology and Information Technology
• Application of Nanotechnology in Information technology will act as a synergy between human beings and machines by:
• Connecting people at a much cheaper rate
• Accessible of Computers, Cell phones, PDAs to all
• Increasing more user friendly appliances
• Exploring space with more security at a much cheaper rate
• Electronic devices that are smaller and lighter, use less battery power and faster

The impact of Nanotechnology in Information Technology industry will revolutionize the following areas:

· Electronics

Nanoelectronics is the work done on the smallest of electronic devices. Working at smaller and smaller levels means more applications in almost all electronic areas. 

Hard drives capable of holding 1000 times as much data than those used in computers today

Washing machines that don’t become unbalanced. Through the use of MEMS, micro-electrical mechanical machines, an ultrasensitive accelerometer can provide constant feedback to the washing machine to create an "intelligent spin" cycle.

Software

• Contain enough processing capability for a voice interface for illiterate people
• Distribution of networking hardware at a cheaper cost
• Distribution of networking software at a cheaper cost
• Smaller and faster computers with larger memories
• Advance computing

Space

• Extensive monitoring together with increasingly efficient control of propulsion systems, life support, etc, mission success rates would increase at lowered cost.
• Improve the viability of the spaceplanes by making them structurally much lighter
• Space shuttles could be constructed that are just 20 nm in thickness (less than a soap bubble). This would make the sail and necessary mountings extremely light but still very durable
• Storage of oxygen and hydrogen at much higher pressures, allowing more to be stored in less space

Nanotechnology and Automotive industry

• The thematic focus of automotive industry using nanotechnology would be to generate vehicles that would -
• Minimize Air pollution
• Recycling
• Safety
• Better performance and engine efficiency (fuel saving)
• Look and Feel (aesthetics)

The impact of Nanotechnology in automotive industry would encompass the following areas

• Materials and Coatings
• Functional nanostructural materials
• New cooling fluids and ferrofluids
• Low friction nanocomposite coatings
• Wear resistant nanocomposite coatings

· Energy

• High efficiency solar cell
• Hydrogen storage for fuel cell
• Nanocatalysts
• Energy accumulators

· Paints and Coatings for Vehicle Body

• Iridescent coatings
• Carbon nanotube based paints
• Corrosion protection coatings

Night Vision Systems

• High transmittance IR polymers embedded with nanoparticles
• High sensitivity IR sensors

Sensors

• Cabin air quality monitoring
• Exhaust emissions detection

Interiors

• Advanced functionalised textiles
• Filters for air control
• Electrochromic glasses

On Board Information

• Thin film display
• Interactive glasses (IPI)
• Micro-shutter displays based on carbon nanotubes

Lighting

• Electro-optical films
• New lighting sources
• Electrochromic coatings
• Optical switches