Think small - - smaller than a living cell, 100,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper and about a millionth of a millimeter.
Now, think big - - a predicted 2.6 trillion of manufactured items, a new workforce of greater than two million and government budget proposals of $14.45 million for development.
Simultaneously thinking both big and small is a crucial part of the science of nanotechnology. This study of tiny particles - - as small as a million times smaller than the head of a pin - - has in recent years revealed materials attractive for use in everything from computers to sunscreens. This relatively new area of science has generated excitement worldwide.
In Lexington, a team of University of Kentucky College of Agriculture scientists is joining colleagues from other institutions to explore the potential ecological hazards of nanoparticles. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have awarded $14.4 million to create a national Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology.
UK will be part of a group of institutions that will collaborate with the center, based at Duke University. Paul Bertsch, a UK soil scientist, will lead the Kentucky team.
"Nanotechnology is fueling a technology that may be akin to the first automobile," Bertsch said. "It will transform the global economy and the tools that we now use."
Nanotechnology can be used to address some of the world's major challenges, including energy, water purification, and medical devices to diagnose and treat disease, Bertsch said. Nanotechnology is currently used in commercial products ranging from plastics to cosmetics, he added.
"The impact of nanotechnology on business will be tremendous," Bertsch said. "This will be a major part of our lives."
Current estimates are that by 2015, 2.6 trillion manufactured items will contain materials created by nanotechnology, Bertsch said. Solar panels, batteries, tires, food products and medical devices are among the many items that are currently in use or under study and development.
The science of nanotechnology studies matter at dimensions smaller than molecules or atoms, at approximately between 1 and 100 nanometers. At this level, unusual physical, chemical and biological properties are seen. Such properties may differ in important ways than in larger materials. They may be stronger, better at conducting electricity or heat or may reflect light better.
They may also combine with other elements or be carried differently by water, Bertsch said. While the applications appear to have enormous potential, the environmental implications are unknown, he said.
"It's important to note that we are at the beginning of this revolution," Bertsch said. "It is critical that we allow for the promise of nanotechnology to arise but also are aware of any environmental implications."
Bertsch compared this concern to the use of the pesticide DDT after World War II to control mosquitoes. While spraying the substance did effectively kill bugs, it also had adverse environmental effects, particularly to birds, he said.
Research will help to define the relationship between nanomaterials and their potential environmental effects and ecological consequences. Nanomaterials are present in nature as well as man-made, Bertsch said.
Bertsch and his UK colleagues, Olga Tsyusko and Jason Unrine, will focus on understanding the transformations of nanomaterials in soil and how they are taken up by organisms such as earthworms and plants.
Lab studies at UK include determining the uptake of nanomaterials by plants, such as tobacco. Tobacco is then fed to hornworms, a natural predator of the plant, to see if the uptake continues up the food chain.
"Understanding how nanomaterials move through the environment, how they are transformed in soils and how they interact with organisms is essential to developing an understanding of the ecological and human health risks associated with their widespread use," Bertsch said. "It is critical that risks to the environment and human health be understood and properly managed so that this promise is realized. This is the ultimate goal of the center."
In addition, during the coming year 32 tightly controlled "mesocosms," will be developed near Duke in Durham, N.C. These mesocosms are small plots that act as laboratories to study the interaction and effects on plants, fish, bacteria and other elements. Each mesocosm is approximately 10 by 20 feet.
Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that includes physics, chemistry, biology, engineering and other research fields. Each institution involved in the National Center of Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology will study a different aspect.
Other universities involved include Virginia Tech, Howard, Carnegie Mellon and Stanford. U.S. government agencies such as the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the EPA are also partnering. A number of international institutes are collaborating in the efforts as well.
"International coordination is very important," Bertsch said. "We want to have the biggest impact as soon as possible."
Bertsch notes that many second and third world countries are investing in nanotechnology.
UK's involvement in environmental initiatives is linked to its "Top 20" plan (UK's intent to become one of America's 20 best public research universities), according to Bertsch. Part of that plan is the establishment of a major environmental institute. Planning for the institute, currently under the working name of "Institute of Sustainability, Energy and the Environment," has involved over 100 faculty members.
"The breadth of expertise at UK is a marvel," said Bertsch, who was recruited eight months ago from the University of Georgia to head the process of developing the institute. Bertsch said that students from diverse areas of study ranging from engineering to pharmacy may in the near future be eligible for training grants to study nanotechnology.