Nanometer – is a unit in length in the metric system, equal to 1981 – Invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1981

one billionth of a meter (10^-9). and the discovery of fullerene (C60) in 1985 lead to the
emergence of nanotechnology.
1 nanometer = 1nm = 10^-9m
The term “Nanotechnology” had been coined by Norio
1nm = 0.000000001m
Taniguchi in 1974.
Technology – is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools,
The early 2000s also saw the beginnings of commercial
machines and techniques, in order to solve a problem or
applications of nanotechnology, although these were limited to
perform a specific function.
bulk application of nanomaterials.
What is Nanotechnology?
TECHNOLOGY BEHIND
Nanoscience – is the study of manipulating matter at atomic,
Atomic Force Microscope – the first commercially available
molecular, and macromolecular scales.
atomic force microscope was introduced in 1989. The AFM is
Nanotechnologies are the design, characterization, production one of the foremost tools for imaging, measuring, and
and application of structures, devices and systems by manipulating matter at the nanoscale.
controlling shapes and size at nanometer scale.
Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) – is an instrument for
NANOMETER SCALE: imaging surfaces at the atomic level. Its development in 1981.
It earned its inventors (Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer) the
Ant = 5,000,000 nm long
Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986.
RBC = 7,000 nm wide
• DIP PEN NANOLITHOGRAPHY - A technique where an
DNA = 2.5 nm wide atomic force microscope tip is used to create patterns directly
on a range of substances with a variety of inks allowing surface
Hair = 90, 000 nm thick
patterning on scales of under 100 nanometers. DPN is the
Paper = 75, 000 nm thick nanotechnology analog of the dip pen, which is coated with a
chemical compound or mixture acting as an "ink," and put in
HISTORY contact with a substrate, the "paper."
1959 – The first ever concept was presented in 1959 by the
famous professor of physics, Dr. Richard P. Feynman.
• ELECTRON-BEAM LITHOGRAPHY - The practice of NANORODS
scanning a focused beam of electrons to draw custom shapes
- One morphology of nanoscale objects
on a surface covered with an electron-sensitive film called a
- Dimensions range from 1-100 nm.
resist. The primary advantage of electron-beam lithography is
- They may be synthesized from metals or
that it can draw custom patterns (direct-write) with sub - 10 nm
semiconducting materials.
resolution.
- A combination of ligands act as shape control agents
PRODUCTS and bond to different facets of the nanorod with
different strengths.
Carbon Nanotubes: - This allows different faces of the nanorod to grow at
- Allotropes of carbon with cylindrical nanostructure. different rates, producing an elongated object.
- PROPERTIES USES:
- Easily penetrate membranes such as cell walls.
- They have length-to-diameter ratio of up to - In display technologies, the reflectivity of the rods can
132,000,000:1. be changed by changing their orientation with an
- Highest strength to weight ratio. Electrical resistance applied electric field.
changes significantly when other molecules attach - In micro – electromechanical systems (MEMS).
themselves to the carbon atoms. - In cancer therapeutics.

USES: NANOBOTS

Easton – Bell Sports, Inc. using CNT in making bicycle - Close to the scale of 10-9.
component. - Largely in R&D phase.
- Bots of 1.5nm across, capable of counting specific
Zyvex Technologies using CNT for manufacturing of light molecules in a chemical sample.
weight boats. - It would be necessary for very large numbers of
Replacing transistors from the silicon chips as they are small nanobots to work together to perform microscopic and
and emits less heat. macroscopic tasks.
- Capable of replication using environmental resources.
In electric cables and wires, solar cells.
USES:
In fabrics.
- Detection of toxic components in environment
 - In drug delivery - Nanoplex biomarker detection [ Silica – coated surface]
- Biomedical Instrumentation. Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) - active
metal nanoparticles allow robust, ultrasensitive,
APPLICATION highly multiplexed biomarker quantitation in
Medicine – Researchers are developing customized any biological matrix, including blood.
nanoparticles the size of molecules that can deliver drugs
FOOD
directly to diseased cells in your body.
Nanotechnology is having an impact on several aspects
When its perfected, this method should greatly reduce
of food science, from how food is grown to how it is packaged.
the damage treatment such as chemotherapy does to a patient’s
Companies are developing nanomaterials that will make a
healthy cells.
difference not only in the taste of food, but also in food safety,
DRUG DELIVERY AND DISEASE TREATMENT: and the health benefits that food delivers.

- Potential to revolutionize cancer treatment. FUEL CELLS

- Nanocrystals can be effective agents for selective
- Nanotechnology is being used to reduce the cost of
targeting and destruction of cancer cells.
catalysts used in fuel cells to produce hydrogen ions
o Small particle size
from fuel such as methanol and to improve the
o Surface functionalization is possible. efficiency of membranes used in fuel cells to separate
o Unique properties (magnetic, optical). hydrogen ions from other gases such as oxygen.

ELECTRONICS
Nanotechnology holds some answers for how we might FUELS
increase the capabilities of electronics devices while we reduce
their weight and power consumption. - Nanotechnology can address the shortage of fossil fuels
such as diesel and gasoline by making the production of
fuels from low grade raw materials economical,
increasing the mileage of engines, and making the
production of fuels from normal raw materials more
IMAGING AND DIAGNOSTICS efficient.
SOLAR CELLS Nanotechnology can improve the performance of
catalysts used to transform vapors escaping from cars or
- Companies have developed nanotech solar cells that
industrial plants into harmless gasses. That's because catalysts
can be manufactured at significantly lower cost than
made from nanoparticles have a greater surface area to interact
conventional solar cells.
with the reacting chemicals than catalysts made from larger
BATTERIES particles. The larger surface area allows more chemicals to
interact with the catalyst simultaneously, which makes the
Companies are currently developing batteries using catalyst more effective.
nanomaterials.
One such battery will be as good as new after sitting on WATER QUALITY
the shelf for decades.
Nanotechnology is being used to develop solutions to
Another battery can be recharged significantly faster
three very different problems in water quality. One challenge is
than conventional batteries.
the removal of industrial wastes from groundwater.
SPACE Nanoparticles can be used to convert the contaminating
chemical through a chemical reaction to make it harmless.
Nanotechnology may hold the key to making Studies have shown that this method can be used successfully
spaceflight more practical. Advancements in nanomaterials to reach contaminates dispersed in underground ponds and at
make lightweight spacecraft and a cable for the space elevator much lower cost than methods which require pumping the
possible. water out of the ground for treatment.
PHOTOCATALYSIS
- Photocatalytic reactions can purify water, air, surfaces,
PROPELLANTS and fabrics.
- TiO(2) nanocrystals/films.
• Of the 502, 126 kg of propellant used in the solid
rocket boosters of the Space Shuttle, 16% is atomized Al CHEMICAL SENSORS
powder Nanotech can enable sensors to detect very small
• Nanoscale Al powder has higher burn rates. amounts of chemical vapors. Because of the small size
of nanotubes, nanowires, or nanoparticles, a few gas
AIR QUALITY molecules are sufficient to change the electrical
properties of the sensing elements. This allows the
 detection of a very low concentration of chemical 1. ECONOMIC MARKET CRASHES RELATED TO A
vapors. POTENTIAL LOWER VALUE OF OIL DUE TO
MORE EFFICIENT ENERGY SOURCES AND
SPORTING GOODS GOLD OR DIAMONDS, MATERIALS THAT CAN
The advent of nanotech in sports industry brought the BE REPRODUCED WITH MOLECULAR
benefit of equipment weight reduction and amplification of MANIPULATION.
efficiency. It has fetched more sturdiness, potency and
lightweight at the same time making athletes comfy, safer, 2. ACCESSIBILITY OF WEAPONS OF MASS
more agile, and less prone to injuries. DESTRUCTION.

FABRIC 3. IMPROVED ATOMIC WEAPONRY.

Making composite fabric with nano-sized particles or
fibers allows improvement of fabric properties without a 4. THE HIGH COST OF RESEARCH AND PRODUCTS
significant increase in weight, thickness, or stiffness as might MADE FROM NANOPARTICLES.
have been the case with previously used techniques.
Nanobots, because of their replicating behavior can be big
threat for GRAY GOO. Potential dangers to humans and the
environment.
AGRICULTURE Risk Assessment Problems:
Nanotech has improved agriculture by increasing crop ❖Very difficult to detect without sophisticated equipment
yield while not adversely affecting the environment, precision
farming, improving the soil quality, stimulation of plant growth ❖Difficult to predict how particles will behave in the
and detection of plant-related health issues. environment (dispersed/clumped)

PITFALLS ❖Small size may result in particles passing into the body more
easily (inhalation, ingestion, absorption).
Nano-particles can get into the body through the skin,
lungs and digestive system, thus creating free radicals that can ✔May be more reactive due to surface area to volume ratio
cause cell damage. Once nano-particles are in the bloodstream,
they will be able to cross the blood-brain barrier. ✔Potential to adsorb toxic chemicals
✔Persistence - Longevity of particles in the environment and o ✔The immune system – also an information
body are unknown. processing system
Toxicological Difficulties:

✔ All structures are likely to have a unique toxicological

profile

✔ Standardised terminology agreed recently

✔ Particle size may be less important than the surface

characteristics of the material

✔ Standard dose-response tests may not be appropriate

Information and Globalization
- Communication worldwide became cheap (with new
phone systems and Internet)
- Changed the way people work
INFORMATION AGE
o ✔Information-based work
- Also called the New Media Age o ✔Business trends
- A period starting in the last quarter of the 20th century o ✔Global banking
when information became effortlessly accessible
o ✔Scientific enterprise/research
through publications and through the management of
information by computers and computer networks. Problems with Information age
- The focus of S&T and society became “information”
itself (handling and conveying it) - Infringement of personal privacy
- Progress in electronics and computers caused - Excessive use of computers in teaching young children
information to be one of the most important may impoverish the development of intellectual
commodities capabilities.
- Advances in biology o “Knowledge” is replaced by mere “data”
o ✔Genetics – revolution in information science o Ideas contain data, but data contain no ideas.
(recombinant DNA) Facts on the Information age:
 - Information must compete.
- Newer is equated with truer.
- Selection is a viewpoint.
- The media sells what the culture buys.
- The early word gets the perm.
- You are what you eat and so is your brain.
- Anything in great demand will be counterfeited.
- Ideas are seen as controversial.
- Undead information walks ever on.
- Media presence creates the story. ACRONYMS:
- The medium selects the message.
- Yours is not to reason why. Yours is to buy and buy. AANR – Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources
- The whole truth is a pursuit.
AI – Artificial Intelligence
History of Information
AM – Additive Manufacturing
- “in form” – what we are
DNA – Deoxyribonucleic acid
- For 2000 years, explanation/answers were based on the
head (natural philosophy/reason). DOST – Department of Science and Technology
- Oral tradition – fascination with sounds and words.
DRR/CCA – Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change
- Print and written culture – printing press
Adaptation
- Alan Turing broke the Nazi code
- Developed the concept of computers. EO – Earth Observation
Artificial intelligence GIDA - Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas
- use of machines to imitate the way humans think and GPS – Global Positioning System
behave.
HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- replicate in a computer the actions and functions of
biological neurons found in the human body. HNRDA – Harmonized National Research and Development
Agenda
ICT – Information and Communications Technology
IEET – Industry, Energy and Emerging Technologies S&T – Science and Technology
IoT – Internet of Things
MSMEs – Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
NCDs – Noncommunicable Diseases Cluster 1 – Humanities (Division XI)
NIBRA – National Integrated Basic Research Agenda Governmental, Educational and International
Policies (Division I)
NRCP – National Research Council of the Philippines
Social Sciences (Division VIII)
NUHRA – National Unified Health Research Agenda
Cluster 2 – Engineering and Industrial Research (Division
PAGASA – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
VII)
Astronomical Services Administration
Mathematical Sciences (Division II)
PCAARRD – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and
Natural Resources Research Physics (Division IX)
and Development Earth and Space Sciences (Division XII)
PCHRD – Philippine Council for Health Research and Cluster 3 – Chemical Sciences (Division X)
Development
Medical Sciences (Division III)
PCIEERD – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and
Emerging Technology Research and Pharmaceutical Sciences (Division IV)

Development Cluster 4 – Agriculture and Forestry (Division VI)

PHIVOLCS – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Biological Sci ences (Division V)

Seismology Veterinary Sciences (Division XIII)
R&D – Research and Development MAJOR COMPONENTS/RESEARCH
RHRDC – Regional Health Research and Development AREAS/PRIORITY AREAS:
Consortium II-1. BLUE SKIES RESEARCH OR PURE BASIC
RESEARCH
II-2. ISSUE-BASED OR ORIENTED BASIC RESEARCH his/her own agenda. The aim is mainly to solve a fundamental
unique problem without a specific target in mind.
A. Water Security – Tubig Program (Tubig Ay Buhayin At
Ingatan) II-2. ORIENTED BASIC RESEARCH
B. Food And Nutrition Security – Sapat Program (Saganang A. WATER SECURITY - TUBIG Agenda (Tubig Ay
Pagkain Para Sa Lahat) Buhayin At Ingatan)
C. Health Sufficiency – Likas Program (Likas Yaman Sa The Philippines will experience a high degree of water
Kalusugan) shortage in year 2040. Climate change and the world’s growing
population are considered to be the drivers of widespread water
D. Clean Energy – Alert Program (Alternative Energy Research
shortage (World Resources Institute Technical Note, 2015;
Trends)
United Nations Report on Climate Change, 2009).
E. Sustainable Community – Saklaw Program (Saklolo Sa
This research agenda will help mitigate this foreseen water
Lawa)
shortage due to natural and human activities that render water
F. Inclusive Nation-Building – Atin Program (Ang Tinig Natin) undrinkable, unavailable and inaccessible. New processes,
methodologies, cutting-edge science and technology (S&T)-
II-3. POLICY RESEARCH based approaches will be explored.
II-1. BLUE SKIES OR PURE BASIC RESEARCH The research agenda aims to: 1) develop solutions for the
Pure Basic Research, also referred to as Blue Skies detection and management of water quality for drinking water
research, It refers to fundamental research in the sciences and resulting from chemical, biological, and human activities, 2)
the humanities which have no impact or perceived practical come up with better water management strategies for
use. These may be purely theoretical in scope and heralding household use, 3) identify alternative and/or new sources of
disciplinal advances and pioneering works/discoveries. It is a potable water, and 4) provide policy recommendations.
curiosity – driven basic research whose outcome is not PRIORITY AREAS FOR 2022 – 2025
anticipated in the beginning. Hence, the original motivation to
address the question “Why is the sky blue?” was due to the 1. Water quality, accessibility and availability for safe
interest on the observed physical phenomena itself rather than drinking purposes in coastal and island Communities
deriving any benefit from the answer. By definition, this type
of research implies that the researcher is given free hand to set
a. Mathematical modeling
 b. Characterization which includes B. FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY
pollutants/contaminants/toxicity
SAPAT Agenda (Saganang Pagkain Para sa Lahat)
c. Physico-chemical, socio-economic, biological and
This research agenda will provide science-based data to
morphological studies
address critical knowledge gaps in the four key elements of
d. Supply and demand analysis of drinking water in coastal food security, i.e. accessibility, availability, utilization and
and island communities stability. Programs under this agenda will mainly capitalize on
biodiversity researches in aid of harnessing knowledge base on
2. Salt-water intrusion in drinking water among coastal and
ecosystem functioning and the provision of goods and services
island communities
that are essential to human health and well-being. Biodiversity
a. Causes of salt-water intrusion and its effect/impact is the source of the components of production (crops, livestock,
on the availability and accessibility of drinking water fisheries), and the genetic diversity within these that ensures
continuing improvements in food production, allows adaptation
PRIORITY AREAS FOR 2026 – 2028 to current needs and ensures adaptability to future ones. The
1. Water quality, accessibility and availability for safe drinking continued decline of biodiversity, including loss or degradation
purposes of ecosystems, is reducing the ability of biodiversity and
ecosystems to provide essential life-sustaining services and, in
a. Pollutants/contaminants (surface and ground waters) many cases, leads to negative outcomes for health and well-
b. Analysis of historical flows, sediment and toxicity being.
loads of lakes and rivers
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
c. Weather modification for increasing water supplies in
special localized areas
2. Watershed studies
a. Biological, chemical and physical characterization
b. Water supply stress index
c. Population growth and sector policy impacts on
water resource availability