July, 2006

Nanotechnology's Future
Over the next two decades, this new field for controlling the properties of matter will
rise to prominence through four evolutionary stages

By Mihail C. Roco

1 Today nanotechnology is still in a formative phase--

not unlike the condition of computer science in the 1960s or biotechnology in the
1980s. Yet it is maturing rapidly. Between 1997 and 2005, investment in nanotech
research and development by governments around the world climbed from $432
5 million to about $4.1 billion, and corresponding industry investment exceeded that of
governments by 2005. By 2015, products incorporating nanotech will contribute
approximately $1 trillion to the global economy. About two million workers will be
employed in nanotech industries, and three times that many will have supporting
jobs.

10 Descriptions of nanotech typically characterize it purely in terms of the minute size of

the physical features with which it is concerned--assemblies between the size of an
atom and about 100 molecular diameters. That depiction makes it sound as though
nanotech is merely looking to use infinitely smaller parts than conventional
engineering. But at this scale, rearranging the atoms and molecules leads to new
15 properties. One sees a transition between the fixed behavior of individual atoms and
molecules and the adjustable behavior of collectives. Thus, nanotechnology might
better be viewed as the application of quantum theory and other nano-specific
phenomena to fundamentally control the properties and behavior of matter.

Over the next couple of decades, nanotech will evolve through four overlapping
20 stages of industrial prototyping and early commercialization. The first one, which
began after 2000, involves the development of passive nanostructures: materials
with steady structures and functions, often used as parts of a product. These can be
as modest as the particles of zinc oxide in sunscreens, but they can also be
reinforcing fibers in new composites or carbon nanotube wires in ultraminiaturized
25 electronics.

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 Rearranging atoms leads to new properties.

The second stage, which began in 2005, focuses on active nanostructures that
change their size, shape, conductivity or other properties during use. New drug-
delivery particles could release therapeutic molecules in the body only after they
30 reached their targeted diseased tissues. Electronic components such as transistors
and amplifiers with adaptive functions could be reduced to single, complex
molecules.

Starting around 2010, workers will cultivate expertise with systems of nanostructures,
directing large numbers of intricate components to specified ends. One application
35 could involve the guided self-assembly of nanoelectronic components into three-
dimensional circuits and whole devices. Medicine could employ such systems to
improve the tissue compatibility of implants, or to create scaffolds for tissue
regeneration, or perhaps even to build artificial organs.

After 2015-2020, the field will expand to include molecular nanosystems--

40 heterogeneous networks in which molecules and supramolecular structures serve as
distinct devices. The proteins inside cells work together this way, but whereas
biological systems are water-based and markedly temperature-sensitive, these
molecular nanosystems will be able to operate in a far wider range of environments
and should be much faster. Computers and robots could be reduced to
45 extraordinarily small sizes. Medical applications might be as ambitious as new types
of genetic therapies and antiaging treatments. New interfaces linking people directly
to electronics could change telecommunications.

Over time, therefore, nanotechnology should benefit every industrial sector and
health care field. It should also help the environment through more efficient use of
50 resources and better methods of pollution control. Nanotech does, however, pose
new challenges to risk governance as well. Internationally, more needs to be done to
collect the scientific information needed to resolve the ambiguities and to install the
proper regulatory oversight. Helping the public to perceive nanotech soberly in a big
picture that retains human values and quality of life will also be essential for this
55 powerful new discipline to live up to its astonishing potential.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Mihail C. Roco is senior adviser for nanotechnology to the National Science Foundation and a key
architect of the National Nanotechnology Initiative.

Source: Scientific American Online

Available at http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=nanotechnologys-future

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PRE-READING TASKS: ANTICIPATION

1. Read the title and the two lines in bold. What do you already know about
nanotechnology?
2. Read the bibliographical data at the end of the article. What type of article are you
going to read? Is it technical or semi-technical?
3. Read the information about the author of the article. Is he a reliable source, do you
think? Why?
4. Find and underline the topic sentence in each of the paragraphs. Then, taking all
the information you have into account, write a hypothesis about the text.

READING TASKS: VERIFICATION

1. Now, read the text in detail and write a title for each of the paragraphs. Remember
that the title should reflect the main idea.
2. Complete the following table with information from the text. The first has been done
for you.
YEAR(S) FACT(S)
in the 1960s La ciencia de la computacin estaba en una fase formativa.
in the 1980s
from 1997 to 2005
by 2005
by 2025
2000
2005
2010
2015-2020

3. Answer the following questions. State the lines where you find the answers:
a. What does the author say about particles that deliver drugs to parts of your
body?
b. According to the author, what is the role of medicine in the third stage of the
evolution of nanotechnology?
c. The author says it is possible that something happens to telecommunications
during the fourth stage. What is it?

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 4. Think about your answers to exercise 3:
a. Is the author describing something that is happening in the present?
b. Is the author absolutely sure about the facts?
c. What word gives this meaning in the text?

5. Basing your answer on the previous activities, what is the authors stance on the
topic? Justify your answer.

AFTER-READING TASKS: INTERNALIZATION AND REFORMULATION

1. Imagine that you are doing research on nanotechnology. You are possibly reading
lots of articles and you need to remember them all. For that you will probably need
to make a synthesis of the article. Choose one of the following activities to make a
synthesis:
a. Write ONE well-written sentence.
b. Write an outline of the text
c. Without re-reading the text and based on your outline, write a summary of
the text.
2. Reflection: What exercise(s) helped you in order to do this last activity? In what
ways?