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Details
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- A field of medicine which deals with restoring or repairing damaged tissues, cells or organs. Tissue engineering uses living cells grown in laboratory to restore damaged tissues. We have conventionally grown cartilage, skin cells, muscles, bone marrow etc in the lab. No we are able to grow stem cells in the lab. Also we are able to genetically engineer somatic cells to behave like stem cells (iPS cells).
- The platform on which these cells are grown are called scaffolds. Scaffolds are temporary structures on which the cells are grown. These scaffolds which when seeded into human body degrade after sometime allowing the cells to grow into tissues. In addition these scaffolds should be biocompatible and biodegradable so that it does not cause harm to the body. Carbon nanotubes are used as scaffolds to regenerate bones.
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Water purification
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- Nano-silver: When nano-silver particles are mixed with water they disperse into silver ions. Silver-ions act as very good anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agents.
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CNT-based LCD
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- Earlier TVs used to use a big cathode ray tube to act as the electron gun.
- Depending on the voltage that is applied the electron gun would fire different intensity of electron beams onto to phosphor screen.
- With flat screens you have a lot of tiny little electron guns shooting electron beams at tiny phosphor screens red, blue and green which together form 1 pixel.
- Conventionally these electron guns are made up of silicon or tungsten.
- Novel LCD screens will have electro guns made of Carbon Nanotubes for their mechanical strength and chemical inertness. In addition, it can produce strong electron beams at low voltage thereby saving power.
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Nanocoated LED/OLED
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- LED also work on the principle of photoelectric effect. They produce light upon an applied voltage. However one problem with LED is that they do not produce pure white light like incandescent light. They emit bluish white light.
- So, we use nanocoating on the surface of the light with some fluorescent material to absorb the bluish white light and emit white light.
- Scientists used different chemicals and were able to produce red and green led which was good but there was no fluorescent material to convert this red and green light to white. So gallium nitride was used to produce blue led. Further these blue LEDs were coated with nano crystals of CdSe with zinc sulfide. CdSe produces green and red light upon absorbing blue led resulting in bright white light.
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Nano-porous solids
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- Nanopores can act as sites of reaction and can influence the electrical, magnetic and optical property of the material.
- Zeolite is naturally occuring nano-porouos solid. Our cells are another example of nanoporous solids.
- Nanoporous silicates, nanoporous phosphates are made in the lab.
- Activated carbons (carbon obtained from carbonaceous source like wood etc.) are another example of nano-porous substance.
- They have huge number of pores and thus has large surface area. As a result it can act as adsorbents. Thus, applications include purification of gases, water, extraction of metals, sewage treatment plants, air filters, gas masks etc.
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Single-walled Carbon nanotube and Global Electricity Grid
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- SWNTs with its high conductivity, strength and flexibility are best suited for transmission cables that could transmit electricity over long distances with minimal energy loss.
Thus, SWNTs is best-suited material that could be used for a global electric grid that is mooted as a part of OSOWOG initiative. (One Sun One World One Grid).
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