School of Chemistry

NANOTECHNOLOGY INFORMATION

Nanotechnology is recognised everywhere as being the next major technology revolution. Billions of dollars are being spent world-wide in the race to develop nano-devices and nano-materials. Wollongong researchers are at the forefront of these international efforts and now Wollongong offers a brand new degree course to provide education and training for this exciting new endeavour.

What is nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is simply the development of devices that are 1-100 nanometre in size.

One reason to make such small things is to shrink micro-electronics even smaller and, therefore, build much more powerful computers, smaller mobile phones, better digital cameras and so on. However, when matter is shrunk to tiny dimensions entirely new science emerges: materials behave differently and in unexpected ways. Making use of these new behaviours will bring about entirely new materials with new applications. Finally, the nano-scale is where most biological processes occur. Thus, nanotechnology offers the prospect of mimicking the complex biological world with synthetic materials.

Much of the excitement surrounding nanotechnology comes from the prospect of having complex nano-machines that can do everything from environmental clean-up to autonomous surgery. The business world, however, is excited about less-futuristic developments. The discovery of carbon nanotubes, for example, has provided nanotechnology with an ideal building block. Nanotubes have incredible strength and stiffness and their electrical properties can be tuned to be either semiconducting or conducting. Recently, researchers at IBM have been able to assemble nanotubes into electrical circuits as the first step in making nano-dimension computer chips. It is predicted that such technology will shrink the size of today’s supercomputers to that of a laptop, bringing enormous computer power to general use.

 

"Forest" of carbon nanotubes

  


Right now and for the foreseeable future, much of the technology in nanotechnology is about synthesising and assembling nano-scale particles. A recent U.S. business survey of 150 companies active in nanotechnology found that “the greatest short-term business opportunities lie in the materials sector” and that “materials is now, and will remain, the key sector”. Although the business is in its infancy (likened to the computer market in the 1960s) it is expected to grow enormously. The U.S. National Science Foundation predicts that “the total market for nanotech products will reach $1 trillion by 2015” which is equivalent to about 10% of the global industrial output.

Why study nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is a very broad area and involves people trained in chemistry, materials, physics, biology and mathematics. Research groups working in nanotechnology usually involve specialists from many of these different areas. Progress is sometimes slowed down by the different backgrounds of these people- they speak different languages! What is needed is a truly interdisciplinary approach to training, so that nanotechnologists can bridge the gaps between the traditional disciplines. Interdisciplinary research is widely recognised as where the next big breakthroughs will occur.
All types of technology comes from the application of basic science. In recent times new scientific discoveries have been made by studying nano-materials. It is now recognised that when matter is composed of only a handful of atoms, new physics and chemistry begin to emerge. Nanotechnology of the future will utilize these exciting new processes in devices that cannot yet be imagined.


Nanoscience is about understanding how to assemble nano-scale materials and how to understand their properties. So-called nano-structured materials utilize the fine control of the structure to produce unique properties. A lot of nanoscience is about synthesizing the nano-scale materials, but it is also important to assemble these nano-components into giant, functional networks. Here the skills and expertise of materials chemists are coming to the fore with the application of supramolecular chemistry and self-assembly techniques.

Why study nanotechnology at Wollongong?

Our course aim is to provide graduates with the knowledge and skills to design, synthesise and characterise nano-scale materials. The emphasis of our course is the materials chemistry area, supported by foundation studies in physics, mathematics and engineering. This course emphasis tackles the most important part of nanotechnology: how to mass-produce many billions / trillions of nano-devicesefficiently and cost-effectively. The dream of nanotechnology will only be realised when the challenge of how to assemble nano-scale materials into nano-devices is solved. Because of their general understanding of nano-materials, graduates of the Wollongong nanotechnology degree will able to work in any applied field of nanotechnology: electronics, biological devices, energy materials, smart materials (sensors and actuators) and many more.

Wollongong is already at the research forefront of nano-materials. The researchers will be teaching the nanotechnology course and students will participate in the research projects. The strong link between research and teaching will ensure that graduates are best equipped for their careers in nanotechnology.

Scanning Probe Microscope (Vecco)

The University of Wollongong is also well equipped with up-to-date synthesis and characterization facilities. In 2003 we will install a brand new Transmission Electron Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope to give us unparalleled insight and control of the nano-world. Our new Atomic Force Microscope is the first “NanoMan” nano-manipulation system to be installed in Australia by the world’s leading manufacturer, Digital Instruments. The NanoMan will allow us to move nano-particles to assemble new types of nano-devices: sensors, batteries and actuators.


Where are the jobs for nanotechnologists?

Right now there is a big demand for researchers in the nanotechnology field worldwide. Governments and businesses all around the world are pouring billions of dollars into nanotech research. Graduates are needed to do this research: to discover the new scientific phenomena; to design and synthesise new nano-materials and to develop clever means to mass-produce nano-devices. In Australia, many Universities and government laboratories (such as CSIRO) have major research programs in Nanotechnology. The Australian Research Council (the major government funding agency for research) has identified nanotechnology as one of its priority areas. The research effort in Australia is impressive, but much more is happening overseas. Graduates skilled in nanotechnology and nanoscience will have many opportunities to work overseas. The outcome of this massive research effort will be new industries- emerging in the next 5-10 years- that will require nanotechnologists, so the long-term employment opportunities are equally exciting.

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Last reviewed: 25 October, 2011