an Atom Manipulation help us become more environmentally friendly?

We have already seen the benefits of nanotechnology in several ways, like the much-touted carbon nanotubes. However, with a science so all-encompassing and heralded as the key to so many new technological abilities, an important question is raised: How will nanotechnology effect the environment? As with all science, the answer will be up to us, but there are several positive possibilities that show the nano-revolution may help us save the earth, too. Here are five ways scientists believe the environment can be preserved and sustained by nanotech practices.By building materials and substances from the atom up, entirely new systems can be developed, from super-fast computers to space age polymers.

Better Alternative Energy
There are several different pathways being explored on the nano-energy front, and they are all fascinating. One method involves creating new fuel cells that effectively hold hydrogen power. Traditional problems with fuel cells make them awkward, fault-prone, and untrustworthy on a large scale, but with the advent of carbon nanotubes that can hold a large amount of hydrogen very efficiently, the possibility for car-sized fuel cells is opening up again, this time with much more potential.
Solar cells are also being effected by nanotechnology. Not only can they be protective with the coatings mentioned above, but scientists have engineered ways to make lightweight and more efficient photovoltaic cells using nanotechnology to react to sunlight more quickly, channel power with less energy loss, and give solar panels new flexibility.
This leads to a more revolutionary approach: Other researchers are working to make a nanotech biomimicry system. These device would essentially replicate the photosynthesis process of plants, taking sunlight and converting it to hydrogen and useful energy on a cellular level, letting us in effective synthesize our own energy and store it inside nanostructures with organic methods that could make oil reliance a thing of the past.

Filters
Within the next few years you can expect to see specialized nanoparticle filters on both water and air cleansing systems, filters that can strain out toxins and contaminants with more precision than any other method, while also monitoring the purification process and automatically cleaning themselves when it becomes necessary.
Along with these durable filters comes the possibility of chemical filters, substances created to interact with material and either break it down into harmless particles or draw energy from it more effectively, like the nanocatalysts already used by manufacturers to break down and purify petroleum.

New Materials and Biodegradability
While carbon nanotubes have already been mentioned as a new material, these are only the beginning to the myriad of creations promised by nanotechnology. These materials all have common benefits: they are promised to be strong, light, and able to take the place of much more complex materials like steel, asphalt, and plastic without needing treatments that can leak toxic materials into the environment. These new material will be able to run engines more efficiently, using less gas, and conduct electricity more easily for better and faster electronics.
Also in this field are biodegradable materials. Since nanosubstances can be engineered to perform specific tasks, many of them can also be made biodegradable, able to be broken down into inert particles, perhaps even useful particles that can be used as fertilizers. This will create less waste, meaning fewer landfills, fewer toxins that need to be disposed of without harming the earth, and less money spent on these processes.

Cures and Prevention
On the biological front, nanotechnology can be used to both detect the presence of disease or contaminants and to create and spread solutions for these problems. Doctors are already discussing how nanomachines could be injected into the bloodstream to monitor physical activity, correct a problem, or precisely administer a treatment, but when these abilities are taken beyond the human body and into the environment then the potential becomes even more pronounced.
One day, we may be able to create nanoparticles that can detect a particular type of insect or plant species that is choking out indigenous life or spreading disease and then treat it so it becomes sterile or dies, while monitoring the balance of other life to ensure the process does not affect surrounding organisms. Since nanoparticles are machine-based, they are not incorporated into the DNA and will not pass along resistances or mutations like engineered viruses can.

Protection

One of the most prevalent current applications of nanotechnology is in specifically designed coatings that are applied to metals, plastics, and carbon creations. since we can design these coatings on a molecular level, we can make and apply them to do some truly incredible things—they have been used to make pants spillproof, to make new, lightweight bullet-proof vests, and to make sensitive equipment dustproof.
The real potential with nanotech coatings is in durability. If we can make our cars and engines rustproof (we can), if we can make plastics stronger and longer-lasting (that, too), then our vehicles and appliances will last much longer, leading to far less waste. These coatings can also be applied to wind generators, making them resistance to the effects or water or corrosion, and to nuclear power reactors, giving parts better protection against radiation.

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