Nod to nanotech research institute

The cabinet approved the setting up of the Institute of Nano Science & Technology, an autonomous body expected boost nanotech research. The institute will come up in Mohali, reports Prakash Chandra.

The cabinet on Thursday approved the setting up of the Institute of Nano Science & Technology, an autonomous body expected boost nanotech research. The institute will come up in Mohali.

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More than 30 industries and 50 institutes in the country are currently engaged in nanotech research and development, focussing on chip design, nanomedicine and nanomaterials. Nanotechnology makes materials and gadgets at the smallest possible scale—the nanoscale (a nanometre is one-millionth of a millimeter). It yields products like single-molecule transistors, enzyme-powered bio-molecular motors and tiny submarines that carry chemicals from blood to brain to fight tumours.

Potential applications include microelectronics, diagnostic kits, improved water filters and sensors. Nano-scale particles of graphene, a one-atom thick layer of carbon molecules that form the basic structure of graphites, are one of the strongest materials known. Thanks to their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, they’re a powerful weapon to check climate change.