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A need of the times
NANOTECHNOLOGY has evolved over the years from developments in different fields, including physics, chemistry and materials science. Spending in nanotechnology is growing fast — in the US alone it increased from $432 million in 1997 to $604 million in 2002 and in Japan from $102 million to $750 million over the same period.
Technologies, such as scanning tunneling microscopy and molecular beam epitaxy, are very important for the field of nanotechnology. A scanning tunneling microscope can image surfaces down to the atomic scale.
Its invention, in the 1980s was based on an ingenious combination of quantum physics, mechanical design and electronic control. Since then, it has proved to be a very versatile tool for nanoscience. In the molecular beam epitaxy, single layers of atoms are put down on a substrate. This technique is used to deposit material for different applications of nanoscience, such as high temperature super conductivity, nano magnetism, and for studying different quantum mechanical phenomenon. These two techniques combined with a number of other technologies — namely scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy — are used to fabricate and study nano-structures.
There are a number of possibilities that a country like Pakistan may make rapid progress in this area. However, we need to be aware of the fact that to enter this technological race, we require huge capital investment.
The machines and skills involved in this technology are very expensive. A single machine may cost $1 million and trained staff will cost $50,000 per annum. In this area, second-hand machinery cannot be used as the value of this technology requires operating at the frontiers of science.
It will be unwise to do fundamental work in Pakistan. Pakistan will have a much higher rate of success in this area if it sets up a nanotechnology centre in collaboration with other Asian institutes.
At this centre, some work could be done, while the rest could be done in some other country. A focus on theoretical and chemical aspects of this new emerging science will also result in substantial cost reductions. By using the above approach, we can lower the cost of development and we can also train our research workers over time.
Good salaries and perks would be required to deal with possible brain drain. Generally, there is a trend in Pakistan that hi-tech work is usually done by military institutes. However, finding an international partner would be easier if it’s a non-military project. Foreign governments will be very suspicious if military personnel are involved in any manner.
Our industry would directly benefit from this technology centre. For example, applications such as coatings that make cloth stain-resistant would result in adding value to our products.
There is a question mark over future developments in the discipline, though. The technology has far reaching social consequences, too. For instance, it will result in problems of equity.
The high cost of applying nano-materials poses a particularly difficult problem. The technological challenge is also great as scientists need to economically apply the phenomena which they may have initially studied at an atomic scale to objects, which are billions of times bigger. This requires us to be cautious regarding the possibilities.
In the 1980s, the discovery of high temperature superconductivity resulted in some scientists making great claims regarding its potential, but they are still unable to deliver.
People are also suspicious of nanotechnology since they feel that miniaturization will lead to small surveillance equipment, thus a loss of privacy. Some people see nanotechnology as nothing but messing up with nature and scientists as playing God because nanotechnology requires change at the most fundamental level to form something which does not exist in nature.
A number of false visions also exist. In one such vision, nano-robots are supposed to be injected into humans, which will travel through human veins to kill infections. This seems far fetched, as this requires complicated mechanical structures, which are impossible to make presently with nanotechnology.
It seems that advanced economies, such as the US, Japan and some European countries would benefit mostly from it as developments in nanotechnology require huge capital investment. In order to join this technological race, developing countries will have to find niche in areas where they can excel and they will have to form partnerships with firms belonging to advanced countries.
The global market for the technology’s applications runs into hundreds of billions. The whole area is developing at a very fast speed and new discoveries and applications are being made almost by the day.
This technological race would require huge investments, perhaps without visible advantages for years to come. However, Pakistan should do its best to enter the race.
The writer has a doctorate in nanotechnology from Cambridge University, United Kingdom. His email address is Adnan_Latif23@yahoo.com
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