Nanotechnology and Nanoscience applications: revolution in India and beyond

What, When & How of Nanotechnology

Nano science refers to the science & discipline and nano technology refers the applied part of it including the engineering to control, manipulate and structure the matter at an unimaginably small scale: nano scale. This scale is also referred to as atomic or molecular scale which is 100 nanometers or smaller. This capability also simultaneously gives us the ability to build materials and devices or shapes and products on that scale. Because of the brevity in operation, smarter and lighter products can be made from the molecules of the same matter with every atom in its specified place through positioned assembly or self assembly. The matter displays unimaginably different qualities when manipulated and structured at nano scale. It produces different products when assembled at that scale. This is what is the future unleashed by the nano technology revolution. The mankind has seen several technology revolutions in the past: industrial, agricultural, medical, and infotech in a course of two centuries. But through each of these, we have been able to exploit only a small fraction of the total possibilities. We have been still dealing with the matter at a bigger scale. The building blocks, our engineering skills and products were bigger than the nano size and hence had limitations in manipulation. It is this arrangement of atoms which defines the properties of matter. With its capacity to manipulate the smallest possible component of the matter, the nano technology has the potential to bring that cycle of technological revolution to completion: dealing with the matter atom by atom, molecule by molecule. It is this capacity of mankind to deal with matter at molecular level that will give the mankind a historical new ability to shape, process and create things which have never been thought of.

Nanotechnology in India: A Case Study of the Potential India, with its more than one billion people, a wide landscape and a diverse socio-economic base, has tremendous possibilities for any technological intervention including nanotechnology. India has been slow to adopt the technologies and even slower to experiment them. This has happened primarily because the risk taking ability of individuals, organizations and the Governments has been low. Moreover, because of lack of communication to the rest of the world, the level of confidence in the innovations has been low.

www.sainsce.com

However, in the last decade, India has gained not only confidence to try out new technologies but also to experiment and innovate. This is primarily because the entrepreneurial base has increased. A number of new companies come to the market everyday. The number of millionaires in India, its richest people and its companies are quite at the top in the global list of the rich. This is also happening because the peoples purchasing power has increased. India is the fourth largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity. Another reason for this is that the Indian consumer has started asking for the best that is available on the earth. This makes India a huge market for quality goods. The spirit of innovation is also getting strengthened because of the fact that India is a young country; with almost half of its population in the younger age group. This age group is inclined to make forays in the unknown but exciting fields. The new companies being formed look for exciting emerging technologies. India is ready for Nanotechnology Thus, for the first time in its history, India is ready not only to adopt what is working elsewhere, but also to innovate, experiment, adopt and adapt what is entirely new. This includes what has not been tried at all but makes an economic, social or environmental sense. Nanotechnology is a phenomenon in that range. It is new, it is evolving, it is challenging. This is what India is now ready for. Thus, nanotechnology and its applications have a bright future in India. Nanotechnology in India is expected to unleash the full force of Indias creativity and its craving to satisfy all its basic needs, to catch up with the world, rather to surpass the world.

Nanotechnology in India: a Huge Potential Indias 60% population depends on agriculture, but income levels are low because productivity is low and is marred by low inputs, pests, diseases and losses India is has massive food requirement and has variety of crops, fruits, flowers and vegetables but food sector is handicapped due to inefficiencies in production, processing, storage and packaging India gets excellent solar radiation, every roof top can become a power house, but solar energy is not generated because right and affordable technology is not in place India gets excellent rains but still drinking and irrigation water is not available in many parts because water storage and purification techniques are not perfect Average Indians do not lead a long and healthy life partly because the drugs and medicines used in treatment cause even greater damage than the disease itself.

www.sainsce.com

Indias Industrial and infrastructure sectors are growing very fast, but the materials used in both are not as durable and precise as they could be India is urbanizing fast but still faster is the level of pollution because of urban waste, untreated water etc. Most of the processing and packaging in industry and agriculture leaves behind a trail of environmental hazards, which if not tackled at this juncture, will lead and add to long term ecological problems including global warming

Nanotechnology in India can bring in a revolution Nanotechnology applications will benefit India in all the above and many more such areas. It will bring revolution in the socio-economic life and make India take a qualitative leap at least in three following major ways. Nanotechnology in India: to satisfy its basic needs With better productivity in various sectors By reducing the losses due to pests & diseases By reducing wastages & by enhancing capacity

Nanotechnology in India: to enable it to catch up with the world By reducing the inefficiency in processing, storage and packaging By ensuring better life to people, materials and the amenities By reducing environmental damages

Nanotechnology in India: to enable it to surpass the world By enabling all its hands to work, all its fields to produce By enabling all its roofs to produce electricity By enabling all its products to benchmark with the best in the world

This is why the entrepreneurs, the policy makers, the companies and the people are keen to learn and leverage nanotechnology in India. Nanotechnology and nanotechnology applications , thus, have a great future in India.

www.sainsce.com

A nano glimpse of India in 2030 with nanotechnology applications in full sway

Agriculture productivity is increased through better investigation of pests & diseases, targeted treatment trough precision farming, better forecasting of weather, minimizing the waste and maximizing the life cycle of agro products through nano technology; The processed foods stay fresh for months together: thanks to nanotech- enabled packaging and processing-impermeable coating, packaging etc. to cite a few initiatives. Rooftop solar generation enabled by nano solar cells; for each building just like you produce your vegetables in kitchen garden: common mans dream realized through cheaper, durable solar cells. Imagine the savings on transmission lines and power stations and substations! Lighter wind and hydro energy turbines ensuring much higher revolution per minute thus producing more energy even with lesser water and wind availability. . Water proof nano sand reducing wastage of water in irrigation by 75%! just lay down beneath typical desert topsoil; The nano super sand stops water below the roots level of the plants and maintains a water table, giving greenery a constant water supply: Potable water for all: water purification with high precision nano tech membranes, on a higher scale at a much lower cost. A nano submarine floats through the blood of human body treating the right cells instead of contaminating the whole body with antibiotic toxics and generating a host of side effects. A much lighter aircraft or a car made of nano materials which are lighter and cheaper, yet sturdier. And the bonus of fuel efficiency! A computer nano chip as powerful as all the computers of the todays world put together. That too in a form of hand held device. And you know how powerful the computer chips already are.

SAiNSCEs Commitment for Nanotechnology Development We are driven by the above belief that the nano-technology has immense potential across various sectors in bringing welfare to the society. This technology is going to drastically change production processes, communication systems and a host of other patterns of generation and consumption. It is, in fact, going to substantially change human life itself. This obviously gives lot of commercial potential to the technology. And seeing this happen is our passion; seeing this expand is our mission.

www.sainsce.com

The result: better life for us, better life for our children. All this is going to happen. And it should happen. We also believe that there is immense business potential in what is going to happen- with or without many of us participating in the process of making it happen. This is why SAiNSCE feels that nano-science is not just a new science or an emerging technology; its a way of life in the 21st century. Seeing the nano technology commercialize fast is our strategy and business. The founders of SAiNSCE are committed to work in the areas which deliver value for: The common mans wellbeing Pervasive creation of wealth Conservation of environment In order to be more focused and conclusive, we have carefully selected the following areas of work which, over a period of time, have become our core strength. These have been briefly given below: Nanotechnology in Agriculture & Food Producing & Preserving Food through Nano technology How SAiNSCE looks at it Food security has always been the biggest concern of the mankind. Nations, communities and Governments have been struggling with the issue since long. Particularly, its a prime agenda for the developing world including India. Recent decades have seen even bigger challenges on this front. The future looks even bleaker with food shortage issue looming large. The challenge is how to feed the growing population by producing more on a stagnant or shrinking landscape; with lesser input costs and with lesser hazards to the eco-system. Another adjunct to this problem is how to add to the income of agricultural producers so as to sustain their motivation to grow crops. This also leads to the question as to how to add value to what is being produced. Value for the producer as well as the consumer! And how to make the transaction in agro products smooth, safe and reliable. Thus, all across the world, an urgent need is being felt for more scientific and targeted management of the agriculture and food sector. Nano technology has answers to many of these challenges. Applications of Nanotechnology have the potential to change the entire agriculture sector and food industry chain from production to conservation, processing, packaging, transportation, and even waste treatment. Strategic applications of Nano science can do wonders in the agriculture scenario. Nano science concepts and Nano technology

www.sainsce.com

applications have the potential to redesign the production cycle, restructure the processing and conservation processes and redefine the food habits of the people.

Nanotechnology in Agriculture: A Case Study of India For India, nanotechnology applications in agriculture and food sector make all the more relevance and importance since the Indian economy is predominantly agriculture and given the large population to feed, the food security concern is all the more serious. The Indian agricultural scenario is also characterized by diversity of soils & agro-climatic conditions and thus diversity in crops and fluctuation in productivity. This offers as much potential as challenges in the sector. Nanotechnology applications in basic agriculture, value addition, preservation of crops and food can therefore bring a sea change in the agriculture scenario of India. Thus, applications of nano technology in agriculture can prove to be a big boon.

What Nano technology offers for Agriculture Major Challenges Food security for numbers What do the applications of nano technology offer growing Use of Nano technology in agriculture and food industry can revolutionize the sector with new tools for disease detection, targeted treatment, enhancing the ability of plants to absorb nutrients, fight diseases and withstand environmental pressures and effective systems for processing, storage and packaging. Low productivity in Precision farmingNano tech application here makes cultivable areas farming more targeted and scientific. Precision farming makes use of computers, global satellite positioning systems, and remote sensing devices to measure various parameters. Accurate information through applications of nano technology for real time monitoring of soil conditions, environmental changes and diseases and plant health issues. Large uncultivable areas Bringing more areas under cultivation by nano tech enabled environmental monitoring and management including cost effective water management through applications of nano science. Use of nanotechnology in agriculture can thus change the land use pattern substantially. Shrinkage of cultivable lands The remedy is to enhance productivity through nano tech driven precision farming and to maximize the output and minimize inputs through better monitoring and targeted

www.sainsce.com

Wastage of inputs

action. Nano tech enabled sensors and smart delivery systems will help the agricultural industry combat viruses and other crop pathogens. In the near future, nano structured catalysts will be available which will increase the efficiency of pesticides and herbicides, allowing lower doses to be used. Precision farming through use of nanotech applications can also help to reduce agricultural waste and thus keep environmental pollution to a minimum. Use of nano technology in sensing applications will ensure food safety and security, as well as technology applications which alert the customers and shopkeepers when a food is nearing the end of its shelflife. Nanotech based new antimicrobial coatings and dirt repellent plastic bags are a remarkable improvement in ensuring the safety and security of packaged food. Various devices designed through application of nanotechnology which include biosensor for the detection of pesticides, herbicides, insecticide, viruses, microbe will bridge this gap to a great extent. Smart packaging developed by applying nano science concepts & technology would be able to repair small holes/tears, respond to environmental conditions (e.g. temperature and moisture changes), and alert the customer if the food is contaminated. Food companies will have to be very vigilant in logistics. Nanotechnology applications have the potential to produce easy-to-handle devices which reduce the dependence on human skills on many fronts, thus reducing the human risk. Fresh and processed food companies will have a new dimension to quality and production. Nano technology will change the existing system of food processing and will enhance the nutritional quality of food and will ensure the safety of food products. Other strategic applications of nanotechnology for use in agriculture and food processing industry include the addition of nano particles to existing foods to enable increased absorption of nutrients. This is possible through selected additives and

Wastage of products

Perishability/ low shelf life

Technology limitations

Skill limitations

Processing limitations

www.sainsce.com

improvements to the way the body digests and absorbs food. Nanotechnology is already making an impact on the development of functional or interactive foods, which respond to the bodys requirements and can deliver nutrients more efficiently. Research is on to develop new nano tech driven on demand foods, which will remain dormant in the body and deliver nutrients to cells when needed. This is possible by applications of nano science. The food companies are keen to adapt new technology in a big way Packaging limitations Silver nano-particles can be embedded in polymeric materials such as PVC, PE, PET while polymerization occurs. Silver Nan particles kill pathogens, bacteria, viruses and fungus and are used as a good and safe packaging pot. Such nanotech based packaging materials are 100 times more secure than the normal one for the storage of juices, milk and other agriproducts. Nanotech products in packaging food products thus offer immense potential. Food packaging films in the name of hybrid system films have enormous number of silicate nano particles. They massively reduce the entrance of oxygen and other gases, and the exit of moisture, thus preventing food from spoiling or drying. Nanotechnology can provide solutions for modifying the permeation behavior of foils, increasing barrier properties (mechanical, thermal, chemical, and microbial), improving mechanical and heat-resistance properties. Other nano tech devices may include developing active antimicrobial and antifungal surfaces and sensing as well as signaling microbiological and biochemical changes.

Diseases & calamities

The union of biotechnology and nanotechnology in sensors will create equipment of increased sensitivity, allowing an earlier response to environmental changes and diseases.

www.sainsce.com

Impact on Environment

Nanotechnology will also help protect the environment indirectly through the use of alternative (renewable) energy supplies, and filters or catalysts to reduce pollution and clean-up existing pollutants. Nano tech Research also aims to make plants use water, pesticides and fertilizers more efficiently. This Nano tech application will help to reduce pollution and to make agriculture more environmentally friendly. Thus, the use of nanotechnology in agriculture will lead to a real breakthrough in this sector

More than the smart devices for producing, processing and packaging, the convergence of nano technology, information technology and bio technology has really given us a new whole world of agriculture. Through cell engineering, cells can be made to form and multiply faster. This will mean that crops which take months to get ready can be available in weeks time; that too on much less costs. This is the extent of possibility through introduction of Nano science & nano technology in Agriculture. The potential for producing better at reduced cost by use of technology makes it very important for a country like India.

Nanotechnology in Water Management Safe and sufficient water through Nano science Applications How SAiNSCE perceives the potential
It is a paradoxical situation that one-third of the globe constitutes of water and still the world struggles with this basic necessity of life water. Supply of clean water, safe water, potable water and that too adequately and on a regular basis, are the main issues faced by the people. Even in the 21st century, thousands of people walk for miles to quench their thirst, not even sure of what they are drinking. The plight of dumb animals devoid of water is still worse. Water borne diseases take lives of millions. Poor people in the developing world spend up to 25 per cent of their real income to have access to clean water. And the worst part is that the situation is predicted to get further grim with the resources depleting and the population pressure increasing. The increasing ecological imbalance on one hand and increased use by the urban elite further aggravate the problem. Solutions are being found out by use of science and technology for water harnessing, management and conservation. Purification, filtration, desalination, recycling,

www.sainsce.com

recharging of wells and tube wells are some of the means. Rain water harvesting, run- off conservation and economic use through micro irrigation and many other measures are presently employed to find solutions for this basic need. But the crux lies in finding faster and efficient solutions. Application of Nanotechnology to these conventional solutions in the first stage and for finding new solutions subsequently is a ray of hope in this area. Nano technology not only assures better quality but also with lesser energy consumption and hence at a much lower cost

Water management through Nano tech Applications: Potential in India Nanoscience applications in water management assume a special importance for a vast developing region like India. Given the diverse geographical conditions, different regions face a range of water problems varying in terms of magnitude. Problems of safe and potable water prevail alike other developing regions of the world, more so in the arid and semi arid regions. The prevalence of waterborne diseases is also quite high. Improving the quantum of supply of water as well as its quality, at an affordable cost, is what a common Indian would expect the most from the researchers and experts engaged in exploring strategic applications of nano science. This one area can change the socio economic scenario substantially.

Major Challenges Solutions offered by the Nano technology Providing clean and safe water Filtration via nano membranes would ensure much more precision and devoid of virus, purity. bacteria and other elements Filtration through nano electropositive media can ensure which the conventional methods cant improved filtration of pathogenic microbes, particularly those which are tackle resistant to conventional depth filters. Nano technology enabled filters also ensure filtration of those viruses and bacteria which are too small to be filtered Providing clean and safe water by conventional filters. at a lower cost Affordable desalination is the panacea to the water problem. The high cost of conventional desalination is mainly owing to the energy cost. By strategic use of ultra thin membranes, thanks to Nanotechnology, high pressure pumps, energy recovery systems, pretreatment systems, back flushing and other maintenance costs would be minimized substantially; some even eliminated. This would make desalination

www.sainsce.com

Increasing the usability of unusable water through desalination, recycling

Conserving water

affordable even for the developing nations. Nano filtration membrane technology is widely used to remove dissolved salts from salty water, remove micro pollutants, soften water and treating waste water. Nano filters can remove up to 99 per cent of ammonia from contaminated waterways and sewage outflows. This allows the water to be recycled while the ammonia removed can be re-used as fertilizer. Conserving water is as important as increasing the supply of usable water. Nanotech has immense potential in this area since this precision technology has strategic solutions to control waste of water flowing through canals through better linings and coatings, better drip and sprinkler systems, more efficient coatings to stop seepage in household and industrial water systems and less requirement of back flush in filtration systems. Nanotech based filters can precisely select the substances and hence retention of essential ones will be possible Nano filters can analytically and effectively measure and monitor contaminants like arsenic, mercury and others even at the trace level, unlike the conventional ones which can measure only the concentrated high level contaminants. Nano science enables various strategic applications as under: Purification applications, ranging from high purity semiconductor and medical uses through home drinking water. Remediation of both waste water and polluted ground water. Desalination applications, including both sea water and brackish water

Preserving the essential nutrients in water like calcium etc Measuring and monitoring contaminants at the trace level

New possibilities

www.sainsce.com

Nano technology & Environment Make the Environment Sustainable through Nano technology SAiNSCEs concerns for Environment

The subject of Global Warming itself is generating a lot of heat now a days. Having struggled with the issue of ozone layer depletion in the last decades, the world is now facing the challenge of global warming and resultant climate change. It is said environment is not what we inherit from our ancestors, we borrow it from our future generations. We have already started facing the consequences of reckless use of natural resources leading to ecological imbalance. Thus, to hand over to our future generations the same level of environmental quality which we are presently enjoying is becoming difficult day be day. This makes the issue of environmental sustainability more important than it ever was. The brighter spot is that quite a lot of awareness is being created on environmental issues the world over. The world has realized that it is the high time that we resort to discriminate the use of natural resources and try for lower contamination. People and organizations are addressing pressing energy and environmental needs by deploying renewable energy sources, switching to energy efficient and less polluting ways of production, finding alternatives ensuring lesser need of raw materials for the same quantum of production, etc. Nanotechnology applications can reduce the environmental problems substantially with their targeted and indirect interventions. nano technology has the potential to change the way the things are produced and processed and to further reduce their hazardous side and after effects.