Nanochemical Engineering – Small is Beautiful
Over 60 years ago, the physicist Richard Feynman spoke of an exciting new field of science. In his now famous lecture, There’s plenty of room at the bottom, he stated [1]:
“I’d like to describe a field in which little has been done, but in which an enormous amount can be done in principle. What I want to talk about is the problem of manipulating and controlling things on a small scale”
He was referring of course to nanoscience and nanotechnology. How profoundly true his ideas were! Nanotechnology involves manipulating atoms and molecules, the smallest measure of physical things, to create systems and devices at nanoscale, typically at a size less than 100 nanometres. It’s hard to imagine just how small a nanometre is. On a comparative scale, if a marble were a nanometre, then one metre would be the size of the Earth! Nevertheless, this emerging technology has already found application in our everyday lives, from cosmetics and personal care products, to improved drug delivery methods and basic agriculture. Perhaps more significant have been the developments in the area of renewable energy generation and storage.
Photovoltaic cells are used to harness solar radiation and convert it to electrical energy. Nanomaterials are used to improve absorption and conversion of solar radiation, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing cost of these units. Nanomaterials have also been used as more effective catalysts for hydrogen generation through water electrolysis, and as electrode materials in fuels cells. Carbon-based nanomaterials have found application in energy storage systems (critically important when the sun goes down, or the wind stops blowing!), owing to their ability to store charge and superior electrical and mechanical properties [2].
Nanotechnology is truly at the cutting edge of science. But to be useful, the wonders in the laboratory have to be converted to real world products like the ones described above. Scientists depend on chemical engineers to make their products and processes a reality. Chemical engineers develop ways to manufacture nanomaterials at a large scale, which today is the most challenging part of the technology, and to create new applications for the nanomaterials themselves. Without our knowledge of process innovation and scale-up, the world would never see or use these wonderful products.
The story of nanotechnology and nanomaterials is not over, in fact it is only just beginning. The potential for nanotechnology has been huge, and chemical engineers have helped realize some of the early ideas. Today's chemical engineers are finding new ways to make materials at the nanoscale, to take advantage of their enhanced properties such as higher strength, lighter weight, control and manipulation of light, and greater chemical reactivity than their larger-scale counterparts [3]. Nanomaterials will surely play a vital role in energy, water, food and nutrition as well as health and wellbeing in the future. The formulation of nanomaterials is becoming more systematic as a result of the fundamental approach of chemical engineers. IChemE is leading the extension of chemical engineering to many non-traditional areas, with materials and energy being no exception. In its role as a learned society, IChemE promotes chemical engineering in all its forms, as well as the innovation that comes naturally to the field of nanotechnology.
References
R.P. Feynman, There’s plenty of room at the bottom, Eng. Sci. 23 (1960) 22–36.
D. Lokhat, Graphene-based materials: energy and environment applications, In: Graphene-based nanotechnologies for energy and environmental applications, Jawaid, M., Ahmad, A. and Lokhat, D. (Eds.), (2019) Elsevier, Amsterdam.
G. Szekely and A. Livingston, Sustainable nanoscale engineering: From materials design to chemical processing. (2020) Elsevier, Amsterdam.