What is nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology uses materials on a tiny scale. One nanometre is equal to a billionth of a metre – that’s 1/80,000th the width of a human hair.
 
Nanomaterials aren’t new. Some occur naturally as a result of forest fires or volcanic emissions; others are produced as by-products of vehicle emissions. What is new is that advances in science now allow matter to be manipulated at the nano scale, leading to the development of nanotechnologies in many different fields from electronics to medicine.
 
Sunscreens are one of the ways consumers come in contact with nanomaterials: many now contain titanium dioxide or zinc oxide in nano form. This makes the creams transparent rather than white when they’re applied to your skin.
 
Our government invested around $17 million during 2009 in nanotechnology-related projects. Other countries are investing many more millions and the field is forecast to grow rapidly over the next decade.

Nanoproduct list

The Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars and the Pew Research Centre have compiled a list of over 1000 nanotechnology-based consumer products already on the market.
 
On the list are:

• Clothing and household textiles made of wrinkle-, stain- and odour-resistant fabrics.
• Sunscreens with nano-oxides of titanium or zinc.
• Personal-care items with nanosilver, such as teeth cleaners, toothpaste, condoms, wound dressings, dummies and other baby products. 
• Protective or self-cleaning coatings on buildings, furniture and appliances. 
• Germ-fighting whiteware that contains nanosilver, such as washing machines. 
• Smart foods and packaging including nutrient enriched and functional foods, nutrition supplements, and packaging infused with antibacterial nanosilver. 

The full list can be found at www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/consumer.