Evaluate where Nanotechnology could be used to close the gap between developing and developed countries
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Course
Unit 1 - World at Risk
Institution
Queen Mary, University Of London (QMUL)
A very extensive, fully referenced essay of 5000 words on the topic of nanotechnology and whether it could close the gap between developing and developed countries. It received 49/50 and has been commended for being one of the best essays written for the subject.
"Evaluate where Nanotechnology could be used to close the gap between developing and developed
countries"
Introduction
I think I should begin by outlining what nanotechnology is and why it has the potential to change the lives of
millions across the globe. Nanoscale particles are not a new phenomenon in both science and nature.
However, it is the recent major leaps in areas such as microscopy that has given scientists the tools to
understand and harness the characteristics of particles and matter when organized at the nanoscale. An
important thing to remember is that nanotechnology is not working on things just on a smaller scale, but in
fact, working on the nanoscale allows us to utilize the “unique physical, chemical, mechanical and optical
properties of materials” (What’s so special about the Nanoscale?, 2003) that occur naturally on that scale.
Furthermore, the particles have little difference in properties when you take a solid sample in the visible scale
and look at it in the nanoscale. However, when you take the same sample and break it down to dimension of
roughly 1-100 nanometers the properties change significantly, as material properties are dependent on size.
Therefore, when we make something on a nanoscale, characteristics such as melting points, fluorescence,
electrical conductivity, magnetic permeability and chemical reactivity, change due to the size of the particle.
An example that illustrates the unique properties at a nanoscale is gold. At a nanoscale the gold particles are
not the yellow colour that we are accustomed to, but in fact they appear red/purple. This is due to the gold’s
electrons, as at a nanoscale they are confined and therefore their movement is restricted and thus react
differently to light compared to larger-scale gold particles. This may seem like a trivial fact, however the
application of this has an important role in cancer treatment as the nanoscale gold particles can selectively
accumulate in tumors and therefore enable laser destruction of the tumor without affecting healthy cells. (Cai,
2008)
Another key aspect of this essay is what distinguishes a developing country from a developed country. The two
major categories are assorted by the UN. The classification between developed and developing is based upon
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