Over the past few decades, the fields of science and engineering have been seeking to develop new and improved types of energy technologies that have the capability of improving life all over the world. In order to make the next leap forward from the current generation of technology, scientists and engineers have been developing a new field of science called Nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology refers broadly to a field of applied science and technology whose unifying theme is the control of matter on the molecular level in scales smaller than one micrometer, normally 1 to 100 nanometers, and the fabrication of devices within that size range. For scale, a single virus particle is about 100 nanometers in width.

With nanotechnology, a large set of materials and improved products rely on a change in the physical properties when the feature sizes are shrunk. Nanoparticles for example take advantage of their dramatically increased surface area to volume ratio. Their optical properties, e.g. fluorescence, become a function of the particle diameter. When brought into a bulk material, nanoparticles can strongly influence the mechanical properties, such as the stiffness or elasticity. Example, traditional polymers can be reinforced by nanoparticles resulting in novel materials e.g. as lightweight replacements for metals. Therefore, an increasing societal benefit of such nanoparticles can be expected.

This analysis of Nanotechnology and the Energy Industry covers the basics of Nanotechnology, the history of nanotechnology, along with the development and the usage of nanotechnology in various fields today. The report takes a look at the companies prominent in the field of bringing nanotechnology to the energy industry and also looks at how nanotechnology affects various segments in the energy industry, such as the development of fuel cells, the impact on thermoelectricity, and many more. The report also covers the basics of nanotech safety, risks associated with the technology, incentives for using nanotechnology, and overall a complete analysis of nanotechnology in the energy industry.


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Pages: 89
Publication Date: September 2007
Publisher: Energy Business Reports