The term nanotechnology often brings to mind Star Trek
episodes or conjures up futuristic images of nanobots patrolling our
bloodstream in search of deadly cancer cells. While such nanobot-like
devices are, in fact, under development, the reality of nanotechnology
is, for the time being, slightly more prosaic. The profits it is
producing, though, are not, and a number of companies are employing
nanotechnology to “walk the escalator” today.
Nano-Tex, a manufacturer of nanofibers, has been treating, among other
things, the pants of Eddie Bauer, Lee Jeans, and Perry Ellis for almost
four years now. The company’s nano-whiskers, as they are called, infuse
the pants with amazing stain-resistant properties. Since 2004, when it
treated 20 million pair of pants, the company has now increased that
total to an estimated 100 million enhanced-garments.
Nano-Tex and other companies are also treating upholstery and carpeting
with nanoparticles, and hotel and restaurant chains are using these
fabrics to reduce cleaning bills and limit the frequency with which they
have to replace furniture. According to Wilbur Ross, the owner of
Nano-Tex, sales of nano-enhanced textiles will grow from $11 billion in
2007 to $120 billion in 2011.
Another industry using nanotechnology today is the paint and coating
industry, which employs nanoparticles to create self-cleaning and
scratch-resistant paints. In one interesting example, DuPont has teamed
up with a small nanotechnology company, Ecology Coatings, to create
something called a “liquid solid.” Because the coating can be applied so
thinly and so quickly, it is expected to cut the material and
energy-related costs of painting automobiles by 75 percent and 25
percent respectfully. As an added benefit, because the nanoparticles
also eliminate the use of industrial solvents, it removes the need for
the company to obtain environmental permits and comply with certain
costly regulations.
Almost everywhere one turns these days, the advances of nanotechnology
can be spotted. In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration approved the
first drug using nanoparticles; in 2006 Nanosolar, a company using
nanoparticles to manufacture a new thin-film solar cell, broke ground on
a massive manufacturing facility; in 2007 IBM and Intel both announced
that they would be reformulating their recipe for silicon at the atomic
level to improve the speed of existing computer chips by 20 percent
while also cutting down on energy consumption by a factor of ten; and
last year Nokia announced it intended to employ nanotechnology to make
next-generation cellphones.
Exponential Insight
The application of the smallest of sciences can lead to some very big
improvements in product performance–and profits. For instance,
self-cleaning windows and materials can help a number of companies cut
down on maintenance costs, and better-insulating nanomaterials can cut
down on a business’s energy consumption. Alternatively, nanotechnology
can adversely impact a number of existing businesses. Consider the
impact on the dry-cleaning business as billions of garments begin to be
coated with stain-resistant nanofibers or the impact of
scratch-resistant paints on both the automobile repair business and the
insurance industry. If you operate in an industry where the profits are
razor thin, the emerging science of the small–nanotechnology–might be
able to protect and pad those margins.
Related Posts on Nanotechnology
The Nano Song: A Quicker Primer on Nanotechnology
15 Ways Nanotechnology is Already Making Your Life Better
Nanotechnology & The Future of the Cellphone
Nanotechnology and the Changing Face of the Electric Utility Industry
