Nanotechnology is an exciting technological advancement that has the potential to contribute significantly to the future of plastic. Through nanotechnology, special nanocomposites can be created that will be more dent, heat, and scratch resistant. Yet, the thermoplastic resins used to create the plastic can still be processed with the same equipment currently used to process resins.
A Closer Look at Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology involves being able to understand and to control matter at the amazingly small dimensions of one to 100 nanometers, with one nanometer being equivalent to one-billionth of a meter. As a point of reference, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. With nanotechnology, an object can be imaged, measured, modeled, and manipulated right down to each nanometer. At this very tiny level, the chemical, physical, and biological properties of materials are different than when in their bulk form. These new properties, therefore, can be used in different ways.
Nanotechnology Concerns
Since nanotechnology is a relatively new concept, there are still concerns associated with it. For example, critics of the nanotechnology maintain that certain substances may become toxic when manipulated at this small scale. Further, critics fear some of these manipulated substances could cause harm to the immune system if inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or otherwise digested.
