Through the collaboration of experts from different areas of study, multiple institutions and a $24-million federal award, a new research center will open Oct. 1 at UCLA to explore the environmental and social implications of nanotechnology.
Based in the California Nanosystems Institute, the California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology was established to keep scientists on top of the rapidly growing technology offered by nanomaterials.
Nanomaterials are man-made materials that are about one-tenth the width a human hair and have energy-saving qualities.
The study of these materials provide new possibilities for things such as building materials, antibacterial clothing and advanced water filtration ability, said Dr. Andre Nel, chief of the division of nanomedicine at UCLA and the new center’s director.
“Nanotechnology is being described as the new industrial revolution and will have a dominant role in industry within 20 to 25 years,” Nel said.
With nanotechnology expected to grow into a $1-trillion industry in the next decade, interdisciplinary work is necessary to keep this versatile technology under control for safe use, he added.
The new center will be focused on conducting research to understand novel nanoparticles being manufactured, as well as to provide education for students and the industry, Nel said. In addition, there will be an emphasis on establishing warning systems and rankings for particles that may be at risk for being toxic to humans and the environment.
No finding to date suggests any direct harm from nanoparticles in existence, but certain bodies of evidence show possible concerns about certain nanoparticles being released and impacting air quality, said Hilary Godwin, a professor in the department of environmental health sciences at UCLA and one of the co-principal investigators of the new center.
With nanoparticles being developed at an ever-increasing rate, there already exists a wide variety of nanomaterials that are used in multiple industrial areas, Godwin said.
For example, glass windows with nanoparticles can sense and block sun rays in the summer to save energy.
With technology rapidly developing, it will be important to understand the impact of the new particles introduced in to the environment.
“We are trying to stay ahead of the game,” said Arturo Keller, the associate director of the new center. “The purpose of the center will be to remain ahead of any problems before releasing unknown materials in to the environment.”
However, Keller said educating the public about nanotechnology and the possible risks of this new technology will also be an important aspect of the new center.
“A group with the center at UCSB will look at the social perceptions about nanotechnology and act to inform and communicate with the public,” Keller said.
“We are basically looking at a size range that was not previously explored since most materials are on a larger scale,” said Yoram Cohen, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UCLA and a co-principal investigator for the new center. “Biologically, nanoparticles can be harnessed for the benefit for medicine to deliver drugs throughout the body directly to the source of disease.”
With UCLA and 12 other institutions around the world, the center is determined to keep this technology under close surveillance. “We cannot make the same mistakes that were made with the introduction of organic chemicals,” Cohen said. “Because of those past mistakes, the environment is now filled with toxic chemicals that we digest and that go through our skin every day.”
With seven distinct research topics being focused on, scientists are covering all the ground to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
Cohen said the areas focused on were characterizing new and unknown nanoparticles, understanding their makeup, and exploring how they interact with other systems like cells or organisms.
Keller will be studying how nanomaterials will impact natural organisms like mussels and other fish species.
Exploring multiple facets of this quickly emerging technology will ensure that all particles are assessed for toxicity before being released in to the environment or the human body.
“We are deeply committed to ensuring that nanotechnology is introduced and implemented in a responsible and environmentally compatible manner,” said Nel in a press release statement. “The team has very strong and broad experience in collaborative nanomaterials and nanoscience research and has the potential to deliver an expert system to design new materials that are both safe and effective.”
Cohen said the new center will unite experts from the fields of engineering, chemistry, physics, materials science, ecology, cell biology, marine biology, bacteriology, particle and chemical toxicology, and computer modeling.
Nanotechnology and the new center are focused on maintaining a multidisciplinary effort to ensure the safety of this new technology, Nel said.