Nanobiomaterials in Clinical Dentistry (eBook)

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Approaches to nanotechnology

1.3 Nanotechnology on a large scale and volume

1.3.1 Top-down approach

1.3.2 Bottom-up approach

1.4 Applications

1.5 Future considerations

1.6 Nanobiomaterials in clinical dentistry

References

1.1 Introduction

Nanotechnology has been around since the beginning of time. Nature routinely has always used nanotechnology to synthesize molecular structures in the body such as enzymes, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids which form components of cellular structures. However, the discovery of nanotechnology has been widely attributed to the American Physicist and Nobel Laureate Dr. Richard Phillips Feynman [1] who presented a paper called

“There is plenty of room at the bottom”

in December 29, 1959, at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society at California Institute of Technology. Feynman talked about the storage of information on a very small scale, writing and reading in atoms, about miniaturization of the computer, building tiny machines, tiny factories, and electronic circuits with atoms. He stated that “In the year 2000, when they look back at this age, they will wonder why it was not until the year 1960 that anybody began seriously to move in this direction.” However, he did not specifically use the term nanotechnology. The first use of the word “nanotechnology” has been attributed to Tanaguchi [2] in a paper published in 1974 “On the basic concept of nanotechnology.” Dr. K. Eric Drexler an MIT graduate later took Feynman’s concept of a billion tiny factories and added the idea that they could make more copies of themselves, via computer control instead of control by a human operator, in his 1986 book Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, to popularize the potential of nanotechnology.

Several definitions of nanotechnology have since then evolved. For example, the dictionary [3] definition states that nanotechnology is “the art of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale especially to build microscopic devices.” Other definitions include the US government [4] which state that “Nanotechnology is research and technology development at the atomic, molecular or macromolecular level in the length scale of approximately 1–100 nm range, to provide a fundamental understanding of phenomena and materials at the nanoscale and to create and use structures, devices and systems that have novel properties and functions because of their small and/or intermediate size.” The Japanese [5] have come up with a more focused and succinct definition. “True Nano”: as nanotechnology which is expected to cause scientific or technological quantum jumps, or to provide great industrial applications by using phenomena and characteristics peculiar in nanolevel.

It is evident regardless of the definition used that the properties of matter are controlled at a scale between 1 and 100 nm. For example, chemical properties take advantage of large surface to volume ratio for catalysis, interfacial and surface chemistry is important in many applications. Mechanical properties involve improved strength hardness in lightweight nanocomposites and nanomaterials, altered bending, compression properties, and nanomechanics of molecular structures. Optical properties involve absorption and fluorescence of nanocrystals, single photon phenomena, and photonic band gap engineering. Fluidic properties give rise to enhanced flow using nanoparticles and nanoscale adsorbed films are also important. Thermal properties give increased thermoelectric performance of nanoscale materials, and interfacial thermal resistance is important.

1.2 Approaches to nanotechnology

Numerous approaches have been utilized successfully in nanotechnology and as the technology develops further, approaches may emerge. The approaches employed thus far have generally been dictated by the technology available and the background experience of the researchers involved. Nanotechnology is a truly multidisciplinary field involving chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, electronics, and social sciences, which need to be integrated together in order to generate the next level of development in nanotechnology. Fuel cells, mechanically stronger materials, nanobiological devices, molecular electronics, quantum devices, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), etc. have been made using nanotechnology. Even social scientists are debating ethical use of nanotechnology.

The “top-down” approach involves fabrication of device structures via monolithic processing on the nanoscale and has been used with spectacular success in the semiconductor devices used in consumer electronics. The “bottom-up” approach involves the fabrication of device structures via systematic assembly of atoms, molecules, or other basic units of matter. This is the approach nature uses to repair cells, tissues, and organ systems in living things and indeed for life processes such as protein synthesis. Tools are evolving which will give scientists more control over the synthesis and characterization of novel nanostructures yielding a range of new products in the near future.

1.3 Nanotechnology on a large scale and volume

Nanotechnology is being researched extensively internationally, and governments and research organizations are spending large amounts of money and human resources on nanotechnology. This has generated interesting scientific output and potential commercial applications, some of which have been translated into products produced on a large scale. However, in order to realize commercial benefits far more from lab-scale applications need to be commercialized, and for that to happen nanotechnology needs to enter the realm of nanomanufacturing. This involves using the technologies available to produce products on a large scale, which is economically viable. A nanomanufacturing technology should be: