Current nanotechnology permits the operation on the scale of atoms and molecules. This promises to have a dramatic impact on sensor design and capabilities. Nanotechnology has become a key technology in sensor development. Sensors can now exploit novel properties of materials at the nano-scale. Chemical and biological materials operate at the nano-scale, hence nanotechnology is well suited to design of chemical and biological sensors.

Initial research in nanotechnology involved ministration of the macro techniques. The small size of these sensors leads to reduced weight, low power requirements and greater sensitivity. In recent years there has been a large increase in the amount of funding put into nanotechnology. Over the last 5 years there has been a 5 fold increase.

Industries befitting from Nanotechnology include transportation, communications, building, medicine, safety and security.

The new possibilities now available are endless. The ability for atomic bricklaying lets the designer be precise when designing new sensors. This ability will reduce the amount of defects in new devises. At the atomic level the materials have new properties which can be exploited like surface and quantum effects. Nanotubes have been shown to have a number of uses in sensor technologies. They are extremely narrow hollow cylinders made of carbon atoms. The orientation of the carbon atoms can affect the conducting and semi-conducting properties. These can be used to integrate electrical circuits for the design of sensors. These nanotubes can be grown on existing structures.

The existing IC technologies can be used to integrate these nanosensors into integrated electronic circuits. The sensor chips can be used as building blocks to build new more complex sensors.

Nanotechnology has a vast number of applications. IBM is working on data storage proximal probes. These can make and read nanometer-scale indentations in polymers. The current densities are around 1x1012 bits per square inch which is greater then the current magnetic based recording devices.

Advances in nano-manufacturing have been from the top-down approach and bottom-up approach. Conventional microelectronics (lithography, etching, and deposition) has approached the nanometer scale. The current line widths in chips are near the 100 nm. Manufacturing from the bottom-up is also possible using individual atoms and molecules to build useful structures. IBM has managed to write IBM using individual atoms. Designers can also combine micro and nanotechnologies to develop new sensor systems.

Using computers for the design of new nanotechnology is important. Understanding the interactions of atoms and molecules is required when simulating using powerful computers and algorithms.

Working at such a small level also has it's own problems. The new sensors are very sensitive. These sensors are prone to degradation from the effects of foreign substances, heat, and cold. At such a small scale the micro effects become more significant. This problem can be partially overcome by installing hundreds of sensors in a small space. This allows malfunctioning devices to be ignored in favor of good ones.

The amount of applications nano-sensors can be applied to is only limited by the imagination. Physical sensors, electro-sensors, chemical sensors and bio-sensors can all benefit from nano-technology.

Walter de Heer has devised a Balance . This balance is the smallest in the world. A particle to be weighed is placed on a nanotube. The mass of the particle was calculated from changes in the vibrational resonance frequency with and without the particle. The balance can be used to weigh signal molecules.

Measurement of electricity is important and the bases for a large number of sensors. A submicron mechanical electrometer demonstrated charge sensitivity below a single electron charge.

The use of sensors based on nanotubes can be used to trap molecules . Results might be sensitive enough to detect single chemical and biological molecules.

Nanotechnology will also enable the very selective, sensitive detection of a broad range of bio-molecules. For example cover the surface of a chip with millions of vertically mounted nanotubes 3050 nm in diameter. When the DNA molecules attached to the ends of the nanotubes are placed in a liquid containing DNA molecules of interest, the DNA on the chip attaches to the target and increases its electrical conductivity. These nanotubes are connected to an integrated electric circuit and the results analyzed.

The SnifferSTAR , a lightweight, portable chemical detection system. The use of these sensor could play an important role in the detection of biological and chemical weapons.

U-M scientists to develop nanosensors for astronauts. Astronauts of the future might have nano-molecular devices inside their white blood cells to detect early signs of damage from dangerous radiation or infection.

http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2002/nanosensors.htm  

BIO-SENSORS Biosensors are analytical devices combining a biologically sensitive element with a physical or chemical transducer for selectively and quantitatively detecting biomolecules. Our goal is to show the ability of nanotechnology for analysing biological nanosturctures.

http://www.u-bourgogne.fr/LPUB/opsub/Nanosensors/capteur.html  

http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php?article_id=375  

Molecular Nanotechnology and Medicine

http://www.bbriefings.com/businessbriefing/pdf/lifescience2002/publication/phoenix.pdf  

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