Nanotechnology and Society (NEW)
This course provides a general overview of nanoscience and nanotechnology and their social, economic, and ethical implications. Nanotechnology has emerged as a very powerful tool capable of revolutionizing and changing our lives. Nano-objects and nanostructures exhibit new phenomena and properties that are unthinkable in the macroscopic world. Such new phenomena and properties can be exploited to provide solutions for the great social challenges in medicine, energy, information, environment, and so on. The student is invited to embark on a fascinating journey to discover the great power of the small.
One of the goals of the course is to identify the main application fields of nanomaterials and how their introduction into myriad of products is changing and shaping our lives. In addition, we will put the focus on the consumer perception towards nanotechnology-based products. Main investment areas in nanotechnology at the worldwide level will be also analysed. On the other hand, the associated risks, ethical issues, and misconceptions will be uncovered.
The course is aimed at creating a friendly climate of debate. Prototypes and demonstrators will be shown in class to help understand the fascinating world of nanomaterials and nanodevices.
Courses generally have little or no prerequisite knowledge required for a given topic, however if students face any doubts, we recommend they contact course professors to clarify.
| Week | Contents | Teaching/learning activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Nanotechnology revolution - Size does matter: nano vs. macroscopic world - Public perception towards nanotechnology - Top 10 emerging technologies in 2023 and 2024 - Knowledge-based economy - The Hype Cycle - Evolution of nanotechnology in the last 10 years |
- Daily Lectures - Prototypes and demonstrators of nano-based products - Debate on “technology failures of all time” |
| 2 |
Nanotechnology in the world - Nano statistics: global investment in nanotechnology - Nanotech in Europe. The European Commission. Companies - Nanotech in the US. The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). Companies - Patenting - Communicating nanotechnology to the public |
- Daily Lectures - Homework: analysis of news related to nanoscience and nanotechnology in the mass-media |
| 3 |
Ethical aspects and beyond
|
- Daily Lectures - Debate on “dealing with nano-waste”
|
From Monday to Friday.
From 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Exams: One exam of the concepts taught at class with an overall weight of 80% (end of 3rd week).
Homework and debates: delivery of essays and interactive debates with an overall weight of 20% (to be delivered during the 2nd week).
“Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology” by Gabor L. Hornyak, H.F. Tibbals, Joydeep Dutta, John J. Moore.
“Nanotechnology & Society. Current and Emerging Ethical Issues”, Fritz Allhoff, Patrick Lin (Ed.), Springer, 2009.
Dr. Eva Pellicer is full Professor at the Physics Department of UAB since 2023. She got the PhD in Materials Science and Technology (Excellent with Honours) in 2005 from the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) in the field of the electrodeposition of cobalt-based magnetic layers for microelectromechanical (MEMS) applications. Before joining the UAB she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Electronics Department at UB (2005-2006) and at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (2007-2009). Dr. Pellicer performed postdoctoral research stays at Bioforsk (Norway) and ETH-Zürich (Switzerland). She has authored or co-authored over 230 articles, which have received more than 6000 citations, h = 46 (WoS). She has been teaching in the UAB Nanoscience and Nanotechnology BSc degree since the beginning. Dr. Pellicer was awarded the Westinghouse Prize in 2005 from the Institute of Metal Finishing (UK), the Spanish L’Oreál-Unesco ‘For Women in Science’ (2014) and the L’Oreál-Unesco ‘International Rising Talents’ (2015), among others. Dr. Pellicer has participated (or is currently participating) in more than 30 research projects and 3 educational projects, 13 of them funded by the European Community.
- E-mail: eva.pellicer@uab.cat
Dr. Patxi López-Barberá holds a PhD in Physical Sciences from University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland, where he completed a work in the field of nanophotonics and plasmonics. Following the PhD defense in 2012, he was hired as a postdoc at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) to work on the synthesis and characterisation of magneto-optical nanostructures. Dr. López-Barberá possesses extensive teaching experience, first at UCD, then at University of Barcelona (UB) and currently at UAB where he is assistant professor.
- E-mail: patxi.recaj@gmail.com