Nanotechnology - underachiever of modern era

Country should ensure development, otherwise, it will remain obsolete in technology

ISLAMABAD: Nanotechnology is an emerging field of study, where matter is controlled at the atomic/sub-atomic level.

At these nanoscopic depths, in classical physics, scientific engagements lose validity and we enter the space-time continuum paradox of the quantum realm.

Within this vast entanglement of undiscovered, unrecorded, unobserved and unreported findings, a new phenomenon is crossed where science, objectivity, spirituality and philosophy connect forming a new pedigree of pure blood logic analogous to what some would call a madman of yesteryears or a believer of the unseen and unknown.

To fall in the trap of such scientific ideology, requires a command on modeling, assessment, engineering, monitoring and analytics with elaborate and specialised means. In the western world, from government to public-private partnership to private entities all have been built around the stratosphere of atomic-level research in almost all areas of science including healthcare, oil and gas, energy, transportation, fast-response displays, etc.

The funded research potential is taken from lab to market in a seamless fashion via a startup to incubator to a tech company through incremental levels of manufacturing. Examples of such include companies like Nano Dimension, Advance Reproductions, Z-Medica, Solarmer, etc.

However, in Pakistan, much needs to be done even after having mastered atomic collisions for nuclear fusion and fission to a full-scale metal encased deterrent, all of which came as a result of research to product roadmap. Controversially, this resulted in billions of dollars of trade revenue losses for the state. To date, this mantra of acquiring resources and trained professionals with state funding has only been applied to militarisation rather than development of any other sector in the country.

Any indigenous technology development starts in a laboratory, after which it translates into an end-user demand through a market vacuum. Surprisingly, in Pakistan the research even at the institutional level is not world standard, knowledge centres are sub-par printing presses, reported findings at best end up in poorly reputed journals, citations track record is dismal, funding channels are unaccountable and state-controlled administrative professionals lack vision, are just some concerns for science in this country.

As a result, we as a nation buy foreign, invest foreign, live foreign, eat foreign but complain local.

Nanotechnology is a revolutionary field of using atomic volume or concentrations, which is not of bulkiness but of lean engineering, which achieves advanced scientific response.

Hence in Pakistan, simple and cheap applications of solution-processing methods for bio-sensors, polymer engineering for flexible transistors, oxides for solar cell manufacturing, optical/thermal coatings for defence systems, etc are some examples of what can be achieved with a technological vision and government resource allocation even at the institutional level. In this regard, the research centres have to have a strict roadmap for technological challenges that the country is facing with the sole purpose of applied engineering for product development and large-scale manufacturing.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) should work in close conjunction with research labs, market enablers, consumer requirements and monetary experts to implement application programmes to ensure the development, otherwise we will remain obsolete in technology as we have remained throughout the 20th century.

The writer is an expert in emerging green technologies having worked in the UAE, UK, USA and Pakistan. Currently, he serves as VP of the Core Group in Pakistan

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2019.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.