The program Conciencia 24/7, on Canal 24 Horas, recently aired a report dedicated to the amazing world of nanotechnology and its applications, addressing how this area of knowledge is transforming key sectors such as construction, medicine, and electronics..
The article featured Dora Altbir, director of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CEDENNA) and winner of the 2019 National Prize for Exact Sciences, and Roberto Lavín, a researcher at CEDENNA and director of the Institute of Basic Sciences at Diego Portales University. They clearly and didactically explained how nanoscience allows the study and manipulation of matter at extremely small scales, between 1 and 100 nanometers, where materials acquire completely new properties.
One of the highlighted examples in the report is the development of new building materials capable of combining mechanical strength and thermal insulation, something that doesn't occur naturally in traditional materials. Through nanotechnology, it's possible to design lightweight structural concretes that maintain the strength of conventional concrete but with significantly superior thermal performance, contributing to more efficient and sustainable buildings.
The report also delves into the work being done in research laboratories in Chile, where scientists use highly complex equipment to observe, analyze, and fabricate structures at the nanoscale. Atomic force microscopes, scanning tunneling microscopes, and chemical analysis techniques allow them to "see" what the human eye cannot, and to understand how materials behave at this invisible scale.
Beyond construction, nanotechnology has concrete applications in health, such as cancer treatments with fewer side effects, advances in vision therapies, and in everyday life, through brighter, more efficient, and longer-lasting cell phone screens. As explained in the program, the true value of nanoscience lies in its ability to be transformed into nanotechnology: that is, into real solutions for specific societal problems.
CEDENNA's participation in this national science outreach space reinforces the Center's commitment to bringing science closer to people, showcasing the work being done in Chile, and highlighting the impact of cutting-edge research on the country's development.
