Nanotechnology is increasingly moving from a research curiosity to actual product application, bring increased demands for nanoengineering. Nanotechnology is described generally as ‘the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres’ and more specifically can be thought of as assembling products at atom by atom, or molecule by molecule, so as to harness the unique properties of matter at the nanoscale.
Here we will introduce the fundamental concepts of nanotechnology, discuss methods for characterising and fabricating at the nanoscale and look at application in the Chemical Engineering arena, together with consideration of the ethical and economic impacts of this new field.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Explain the main concepts and context of nanotechnology;
Discuss the specifics and applications of nanotechnology in a Chemical Engineering context;
Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the primary measurement techniques used in the nanoscale field (eg Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, etc);
Identify the approach followed in building nanotechnology elements as being either top-down or bottom-up;
Evaluate societal, economic, and ethical implications of nanotechnology products and activities.