{"id":1403,"date":"2022-01-03T00:21:40","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T23:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/?post_type=unit&p=1403"},"modified":"2022-01-03T00:21:40","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T23:21:40","slug":"the-future-of-our-cities","status":"publish","type":"unit","link":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/unit\/the-future-of-our-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"The future of our cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The fight against climate change means we need new ways to generate and use electricity, and nanotechnology is already playing a role. The common denominator of the big challenges facing humanity for the next 50 years is energy as fossil fuels production has already peaked and we are looking at alternative sources of energy. (Williams & Adams, 2017). One of the challenges is energy storage. Nano has helped create batteries that can store more energy for electric cars and has enabled solar panels to convert more sunlight into electricity. The common trick in both applications is to use nanotexturing or nanomaterials (such as nanowires or carbon nanotubes) that turn a flat surface into a three-dimensional one with a much greater surface area. This means that there is more space for the reactions that enable energy storage or generation to take place. Thus, the devices operate more efficiently. In the future, nanotechnology could also enable objects to harvest energy from their environment. New nano-materials and concepts are currently being developed that show potential for producing energy from movement, light, variations in temperature, glucose and other sources with high conversion efficiency \u00a0(Prodromaki, 2018).<\/p>\n

Furthermore, wires containing carbon nanotubes are being developed that will have much lower resistance than the high-tension wires currently used in the electric grid, thus reducing transmission power loss. Similarly, various nanoscience-based options are being pursued to convert waste heat in computers, automobiles, homes, power plants, etc., to usable electrical power (NNI, 2018).<\/p>\n

Nanotechnology can also be incorporated into solar panels to convert sunlight to electricity more efficiently, promising inexpensive solar power in the future. Nanostructured solar cells could be cheaper to manufacture and easier to install, since they can use print-like manufacturing processes and can be made in flexible rolls rather than discrete panels. Newer research suggests that future solar converters might even be \u201cpaintable.\u201d\u00a0 (NNI, 2018).<\/p>\n

Nanotechnology will also impact the future infrastructures of our cities. \u00a0Nano-engineering of aluminum, steel, asphalt, concrete and other cementitious materials, and their recycled forms offers great promise in terms of improving the performance, resiliency, and longevity of highway and transportation infrastructure components while reducing their life cycle cost. New systems may incorporate innovative capabilities into traditional infrastructure materials, such as self-repairing structures<\/strong> or the ability to generate or transmit energy (NNI, 2018).<\/p>\n

As well, nano<\/strong>coatings or <\/strong>nano<\/strong>additives will even have the potential to allow materials to “heal” when damaged or worn.<\/strong> For example, dispersing nanoparticles throughout a material means that they can migrate to fill in any cracks that appear. This could produce self-healing materials for everything from aircraft cockpits to microelectronics, preventing small fractures from turning into large, more problematic cracks (NNI, 2018).<\/p>\n

Nanostructured optics allow for production of light sources with extended abilities in directing the light cone, thus significantly improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of energy. Lamps using nanooptics direct light only to the areas where it is needed. The possibility to precisely control every ray of light emitted by the source will allow for significant reduction of light pollution in cities in the future.<\/p>\n

Nanoscale sensors and devices may provide cost-effective continuous monitoring of the structural integrity and performance of bridges, tunnels, rails, parking structures, and pavements over time. Nanoscale sensors, communications devices, and other innovations enabled by nanoelectronics can also support an enhanced transportation infrastructure that can communicate with vehicle-based systems to help drivers maintain lane position, avoid collisions, adjust travel routes to avoid congestion, and improve drivers\u2019 interfaces to onboard electronics<\/strong> (Prodromakis, 2018). Thus, nanotechnology offers the promise of developing multifunctional materials that will contribute to building and maintaining lighter, safer, smarter, and more efficient vehicles, aircraft, spacecraft, and ships. In addition, nanotechnology offers various means to improve the transportation infrastructure (NNI, 2018).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Remember<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

The future is self-repairing structures<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nanocoatings or nanoadditives will even have the potential to allow materials to “heal” when damaged or worn.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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These nanoscale sensors rely on newly invented nanomaterials and manufacturing techniques to make them smaller, more complex and more energy efficient. For example, sensors with very fine features can now be printed in large quantities on flexible rolls of plastic at low cost. This opens up the possibility of placing sensors at lots of points over critical infrastructure to constantly check that everything is running correctly. Bridges, aircraft and even nuclear power plants could benefit (Prodromakis, 2018).<\/p>\n

However, all these sensors will produce more information than we’ve ever had to deal with before \u2013 so we’ll need the technology to process it and spot the patterns that will alert us to problems. The same will be true if we want to use the big dat<\/strong>a<\/strong> from traffic sensors to help manage congestion and prevent accidents, or prevent crime by using statistics to more effectively allocate police resources<\/strong> (Prodromakis, 2018).<\/p>\n

Here, nanotechnology is helping to create ultra-dense memory that will allow us to store this wealth of data. But it’s also providing the inspiration for ultra-efficient algorithms for processing, encrypting and communicating data without compromising its reliability. Nature has several examples of big-data processes efficiently being performed in real-time by tiny structures, such as the parts of the eye and ear that turn external signals into information for the brain. Computer architectures inspired by the brain could also use energy more efficiently and therefore would struggle less with excess heat \u2013 one of the key problems with shrinking electronic devices further (Prodromakis, 2018).<\/p>\n

As well, the use of nanotechnology-enabled lightweight, high-strength materials would apply to almost any transportation vehicle. For example, it has been estimated that reducing the weight of a commercial jet aircraft by 20 percent could reduce its fuel consumption by as much as 15 percent<\/strong>. A preliminary analysis performed for NASA has indicated that the development and use of advanced nanomaterials with twice the strength of conventional composites would reduce the gross weight of a launch vehicle by as much as 63 percent<\/strong>. Not only could this save a significant amount of energy needed to launch spacecraft into orbit, but it would also enable the development of single stage to orbit launch vehicles, further reducing launch costs, increasing mission reliability, and opening the door to alternative propulsion concepts (NNI, 2018)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Remember<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

The future is in space<\/strong><\/p>\n

NASA has indicated that the development and use of advanced nanomaterials with twice the strength of conventional composites would reduce the gross weight of a launch vehicle by as much as 63 percent. <\/strong>Not only could this save a significant amount of energy needed to launch spacecraft into orbit, but it would also enable the development of single stage to orbit launch vehicles, further reducing launch costs, increasing mission reliability, and opening the door to alternative propulsion concepts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Finally, researchers are investigating carbon nanotube \u201cscrubbers\u201d and membranes to separate carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust. As well, they are developing wires containing carbon nanotubes that will have much lower resistance than the high-tension wires currently used in the electric grid, thus reducing transmission power loss (NNI, 2018).<\/p>\n

In brief, in the future, nano will transform our cities to insure renewable energy supply as well as storage. Nano will introduce self-repairing structures and nanoscale sensors to monitor all the vital infrastructures that run our cities such as highways, bridges and powerplants. As well, nano will provide means to store and process data provided by the sensors to ensure the safety of our infrastructures and our citizens. Finally, nanotechnology-enabled lightweight and high-strength materials will make reaching the stars a bit easier while nanotubes scrubbers and membranes will give us cleaner air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Remember<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

The future is clean air<\/strong><\/p>\n

Researchers are investigating carbon nanotube \u201cscrubbers\u201d and membranes to separate carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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