‘Nanotech for clean water’
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From water purification to waste management, nanotechnology holds great promise, says Mr Ajayan P.M., a nanotechnology scientist at Rice University in the US.
A Keralite and an engineer in metallurgy who has been into research in this area for more than two decades, he has published more than 350 papers.
Mr Ajayan who is here on a short vacation says that sand coated with carbon nano structures like membranes, can be used for water purification.
Similarly, this technology can be used for developing waste management systems.
Besides, there have been great strides in cancer research and therapy where the technology used is so minute that it helps in specific control.
Mr Ajayan who has been looking at various aspects of carbon nanostructures, mainly nanotubes and graphene, says that it is all about controlling things at the smallest scale. The research focuses on controlled building of structures that are multifunctional.
However, engineering things on a scalable level is something of a problem scientists like him have to deal with.
While on the medical front, the translation of these researches to commercial levels would take time as it would have to go through the FDA.
In other sectors like water purification or waste management, revolutionary initiatives may happen any time, he added.
He has focused his research on developing nanomaterials for several applications like energy storage, composites, electronics and sensors and the material used can be thinner than a strand of hair.
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