Importance of Nanotechnology Education in Modern Society and Its Applications in Daily Life

Why is nanotechnology important in modern society and How nanotechnology is useful to us?

Nanotechnology has a greater impact on our lives on a daily basis. It is intended to provide a novel and improved approach to cancer diagnosis and treatment. 
Nanotechnology presents several biological processes and tools and also provides faster, smaller and more powerful computers and carbon nanotubes that can be important in maintaining the development of computer power.

Carbon nanotube: Nanotechnology Applications 

Importance of Nanotechnology Education in Modern Society and Applications of Nanotechnology in Daily Life

Overview

We find every day what is new in various scientific fields, and there is no doubt that nanotechnology has become the subject of modern science and has received a lot of attention and became at the forefront of technologies today and in the future.

Nanotechnology has great importance in improving products, treating diseases, and serving humanity in all areas of life. In addition, it gives great hope for future scientific revolutions in physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and others.

What is Nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology refers broadly to a field of applied science and technology that studies nanoparticles, understands and monitors matter between 1 and 100 nanometers, which can be used in all different scientific fields, such as physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering.

It is worth mentioning that the term nanotechnology relates to a basic understanding of the physical, chemical and biological properties on atomic and molecular scales.

Nanotechnology includes imaging, measurement, modeling, and material handling at the nanoscale to create functional materials and systems with unique capabilities.

Read more: Applications of Nanotechnology: Are There Any Negative Effects of Nanotechnology?

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Nanoscience is defined as the science that deals with the study of the basic principles of molecules and compounds measuring less than 100 nanometers.

A nanometer refers to a unit of measurement equal to (10^-9) meters.

Nanotechnology is defined as the technology that deals with materials and tools in the nanoscale size (1-100) nm, in the production of innovative materials and devices with new and distinctive characteristics. It can be used in various fields and scientific applications.

The Benefits of Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology provides many benefits in many areas of life, it helps to improve many technological and industrial sectors to a large extent, such as information technology, energy, medicine, national security, environmental science, food safety, and many others.

Nanotechnology also adapts material structures at very small scales to achieve specific properties, through which they can strengthen the effectiveness of materials, while being lightweight, more durable, reactive and entangled.

Many everyday commercial products on the market rely on nanotechnology. The transparent nanoparticles or membranes on computer screens, cameras, glasses, windows, and other surfaces can help make them waterproof, anti-reflective, resistant to UV or IR radiation, or scratch-resistant, or conductive to electricity.

Nanotechnology has also entered into consumer products, where billions of microscopic nanowhiskers - each about 10 nanometers long - have been molecularly attached to natural and synthetic fibers to add stain resistance to clothing and fabrics.

Zinc oxide nanocrystals have also been used to make invisible sunscreens, they protect against ultraviolet radiation and silver nanocrystals have been included in bandages to kill bacteria and prevent infection.

Read more: 5 Most Amazing Technological Advances that are changing the World

The Significance of Nanotechnology Education in Modern Society

As a result of the importance of nanotechnology, the countries of the world in general and the developed world, in particular, have been very interested in nanotechnology and they think to introduce the leading nanotechnology in the field of teaching and learning.

Nanotechnology topped the list of scientific and research interests in most countries of the world.

Many countries during the past few years established programs and research units, academic and research institutes but the steady growth of nanotechnology is a challenge for the scientific community interested in universities and technical colleges to prepare the workforce to provide future career opportunities in this field.

Many developed countries have embedded nanotechnology applications in the curriculum.

The United States is one of the first countries to reshape the curriculum to include this field in order to prepare and guide learners in the future.

The United States also paid great attention to teaching nanotechnology in schools and universities and training teachers on how to teach nanoscience and nanotechnology. 

Nanotechnology education is an urgent necessity in the 21st century, in the light of technical and scientific acceleration and great competition among nations.

Many conferences and seminars have pointed to the need to introduce nanotechnology in the curriculum so that students do not feel the gap between the school and the reality they live in.

Nanotechnology is considered as an integral part of "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education". Just as engineering practice is no longer limited to university students, so also nanotechnology.

Everyone - including children, teachers, and graduate students - can benefit, enjoy and learn this technology.

It is clear from the above that the importance of teaching nanotechnology in different stages of education and teacher training is the first step in order to achieve nanotechnology.

This includes concepts and applications of nanotechnology in curricula, training of teachers and science teachers in particular, and training them on how to teach nanoscience and nanotechnology research.

Read more: Applications of Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine

Applications of Nanotechnology in Daily Life

Nanotechnology in Medicine: Scientists have been able to make accurate machines of the size of blood cells to treat many diseases that require surgery such as blockages within the arteries, as well as tumors. 

Nanotechnology has helped to detect some diseases through a "Nanobiotix" sensor. In addition, it has been used in the treatment of cancer, where gold-plated nanoparticles are used to destroy cancer cells. 

Italian researcher Silvano Dragonieri from the University of Bari invented an electronic nose using carbon nanotubes that diagnose cancer tablets by analyzing the air coming out of the lungs during the exhalation process.

Nanotechnology in the industry: Nanotechnology is used in the smart clothing industry that produces energy or removes dirt and germs by itself, as well as in the manufacture of solid materials outweighs the hardness of steel with a lightweight.

Nanotechnology is also used in the manufacture of dust-repellent and non-conductive glass so-called 'active glass' or 'self-cleaning glass' capable of cleaning itself from dust and water droplets and the manufacture of three-dimensional screens characterized by transparency and flexibility.

Nanotechnology has also helped to improve the aircraft and automobile industry through the use of more powerful, flexible, lighter and less fuel-efficient nanostructures as well as make lighter, flexible and powerful sports products such as tennis and hockey rackets.

Nanotechnology has also been involved in the manufacture of refrigerators, washing machines, and water-resistant microbes with decomposition and rust resistance.

Nanotechnology in Agriculture: Nanotechnology can revolutionize agriculture by innovation new methods and techniques.

Nanotechnology can be used to improve accurate farming techniques, withstand environmental pressures and enhance plant capacity to absorb nutrients and detect and control forming processes.

Nanotechnology for sustainable energy: Nanotechnology allows us to sustain our growing appetite for energy, which increases with the number of people joining advanced economies and our demand per capita.

This must be done in a way that encompasses the environment in the wealth production equation where we collect more evidence of human impact on biodiversity, climate, air quality, water quality, and soil.

Nanotechnology is also used in the production of storage batteries that store large amounts of energy for long periods. Consequently, clean-energy cars are produced at a lower cost and are not oil-dependent.

Nanotechnology in Aeronautics: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has created ultra-precision nanotechnology machines for injection into the astronaut bodies to monitor health conditions.

Nanotechnology is expected to enter many vital aspects such as nutrition, agriculture and the military sector.

Read more: Nanotechnology in Electronics and Communication Engineering

How to Raise Awareness about Nanotechnology Education for Building Modern Societies?

If we want to reach the full potential of nanotechnology so that we can contribute to building modern societies, we need a great effort and more manpower and trained in nanotechnology research. 

Programs need to be developed for human resource development in nanotechnology. Therefore, many countries have held conferences and published many studies in this field, but the concept of nanotechnology is still new for various academic fields.

Catching up with nanotechnology requires a reversal in a number of pedagogical practices in our education systems at various levels, from primary to graduate education.

This includes reconsidering the vocabulary and methods of teaching basic science subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, including nanotechnology concepts and applications in curricula, reviewing, evaluating and developing existing science curricula in the light of nanotechnology concepts, developing programs for teachers to enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to nanotechnology

And its applications; raising awareness of the importance of technological enlightenment, and adopting programs based on the concepts of renewable energy and nanotechnology in the general curriculum of the faculties of scientific education.

Nanotechnology is the result of the integration of science and engineering in a very fine field - within the boundaries of atoms and molecules.

Scientists are studying and researching this technology through highly sophisticated and accurate electronic microscopes in order to conduct the latest scientific research and intensify efforts in it for its long-term benefits and adapt this technology in many areas so that they can serve humanity well.