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While
there has been an increasing public interest and funding
in nanotechnology research, few can quite fathom the
scope, impact and potential of this technology. In
the last two decades, over a dozen Nobel Prizes have
been awarded in nanotechnology from the development
of the scanning tunneling electron microscope in 1986
to the discovery of fullerenes (carbon atoms bound
in the form of a ball) in 1996. (See cover design explanation
below)
Issue #8 of EXPLOSION brings you interesting facets
of nanotechnology research in Singapore and the world. We hope you find this
special edition on nanotechnology an interesting read!
Cover Design Explanation
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cover design is inspired by the discovery of “buckminsterfullerene” or
more commonly known as “buckyballs” or “buckytubes”.
Researchers -Professor Robert F. Curl, Jr, Professor
Richard E. Smalley (both from Rice University,
Houston, US) and Professor Sir Harold W. Kroto
(University of Sussex, Brighton, U.K.) shared
the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the |
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| discovery
of new forms of the element carbon– called
fullerenes – in which the atoms
are arranged in closed shells. It is named after
the American architect R. Buckminster Fuller,
an inventor of the geodesic dome. The research
manuscript entitled “C: Buckminsterfullerene”,
was published in the prestigious scientific journal
Nature on 14 November 1985. One of the strongest
materials known, “buckyballs” are
already finding applications in composite materials,
as surface coatings to improve wear resistance
and as components in scientific instruments. |
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| NANOTECHNOLOGY:
A SHRINKING WORLD WITH ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES |
Dear
Readers,
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Welcome
to the fascinating World of Nanotechnology or what
some
would say the “World of Tiny Science”!
While
Nanotechnology may be fast capturing the interest
of lay people and professionals alike,
if you ask a random selection of these people
on what is nanotechnology, chances are you will
receive a range of responses as broad as nanotechnology
itself! Many have heard of nanotechnology. But
to the majority the science is probably still
a total mystery. |
Small
wonder (pardon the pun!), nanotechnology is relatively
a young field in
the world of science.
The possibility of building things atom by atom
was first articulated by physicist Richard Feynman
during his classic talk, “There’s Plenty
of Room at the Bottom,” which he delivered
at the annual meeting of the American Physical
Society in 1959. In 1986, MIT research scientist,
K.Eric Drexler in his research paper, “Engines
of Creation”, explored Feynman’s vision
and coined the term, “nanotechnology” to
describe the physicist’s vision of nanomachines
building products with atomic precision.
Today, much
of the excitement of discovery is sparked off
where
different science
disciplines
meet. Electronic equipment based on nanotechnology
reads computer data stored on hard discs and helps
to ensure that cellular phones and sensors in automobile
engines work correctly. The impact of nanotechnology
on biology and medicine is staggering. – everything
from the construction of tissue to new drug delivery
systems
Indeed, nanotechnology is set to move us into
a whole new threshold of capabilities promising
tremendous economic potential and a better quality
of life.
I hope this issue of EXPLOSION gives you an idea
of what nanotechnology is, its scope and potential.
Hope you will also find the nuggets of information
on what researchers in local and overseas labs
are working on, both illuminating and inspiring.
Enjoy!
Assoc Prof Kong Hwai Loong
Editor-in-Chief
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| Left to Right |
Tan Xue Jun,
Grace
Raffles Junior College
Chen Hui Qi, Janice
Monk’s Hill Sec School
Koh Jian Jie, Clarence
Raffles Junior College
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Tan Ling
Chiao,
Nicole Monk’s Hill Sec School
Kelvin Tay
Chung Cheng High School
Gee Songxi
Chung Cheng High School |
Our Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief: Assoc Prof Kong Hwai Loong
Editor: Teoh Yong Sea
Editorial Consultant: Dr Michael Frith
Designers: Lancer Design Pte Ltd
Advisers: Philip Yeo, Boon Swan Foo |
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 Download
PDF and keep a copy for yourself.
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