The Hindu : Kerala News : Expert calls for setting up nanotechnology centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 18, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

Expert calls for setting up nanotechnology centre

K.P.M. Basheer

`It's surprising that no university here offers a course in this cutting-edge technology'

SHAPING FUTURE: Nanotechnologists Pulickel M. Ajayan and Sunio Iijimo of Japan in Kochi recently. — Photo:Vipinchandran

KOCHI: Nanotechnologist Pulickel M. Ajayan has called for the setting up of a centre of excellence in nanotechnology in Kerala, preferably at the Cochin Univerisity of Science and Technology (CUSAT).

"There are several Malayali nanoscientists working abroad, like me, who are willing to offer advice and even teach if such a centre is established," the Kodungalloor-born Prof. Ajayan told The Hindu . "It's surprising that no university here offers a course in this cutting-edge technology in which research is going on in many parts of the world."

Since nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionise the way things are made now (How about a television screen that can be hung from the wall or a foldable laptop than can fit into your shirt-pocket?), billions of dollars are invested in research worldwide by defence agencies, universities and multi-national corporations. In another 10 years, the nanotechnology-induced market will be worth one trillion dollars. It would also open up huge employment opportunities in the field.

Prof. Ajayan, a research professor at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the oldest engineering institute in the United States, and his team of researchers, recently made waves in the nanotechnology world when they developed `nano screen' after marrying nanotechnology with polymer science. Nano screen (also called nano skin) has the potential for a variety of applications. Prof. Ajayan is a pioneer in the field of carbon nanotubes and has worked with Japan's Sunio Iijimo, who had first reported carbon nanotubes. Prof. Ajayan is credited with some of the seminal papers on nanotechnology.

The athlete-looking professor was in Kochi recently to organise an international symposium on `Frontiers in nano scale science, technology and education. It was sponsored by a number of Indian and American agencies, universities and corporations.

Nanotechnology is the art of miniaturisation. It deals with matter at the nanoscale — a nanometre is one billionth part of a metre, or to put in a more concrete way, it is the size of one of the 75,000 splits of a single hair. By manipulating atoms at the nanoscale, scientists can create smaller, lighter and stronger materials with required properties. These materials could produce a myriad things, including electronic goods. Nanotechnology could also be used in surgery, cancer treatment, solar energy equipment. In its possible impact, nanotech is compared to the development of transistor or telecommunications.

"It's an enabling technology. It goes in all fields — information technology, biotechnology, energy saving or anything," Prof. Ajayan said. Matter, when reduced to the nanoscale, changes properties and these properties could be manipulated in accordance with one's needs. "But the challenge is putting things in place — precision and control are very important," he stressed. "You are talking about ultimate control; when just 10 or 15 atoms are involved, each atom counts and you cannot afford to let one or two atoms go their own ways."

Heavy investment

"India is lagging in infrastructure needed for research on nanotechnology. You must realise that nano research requires heavy investment in infrastructure," Prof. Ajayan said. The country should focus on training manpower to handle nanotech, he added. Universities should include nano in their curricula. Centres of excellence in nanotechnology were an absolute necessity to take advantage of this emerging technology for economic and technological development of the country, he stressed.

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