Significance of Leveraging Nanotechnology and the IoT

Nanoparticles and nanofilms can improve satellite and 5G wireless communication systems, and nanophotonics will enable IoT-required quantum communication and information networks.

FREMONT, CA: Nanotechnology and the IoT are increasing efficiency and capabilities. IoT is a network of sensors, processors, and other devices that share data through the internet. The IoT network links the interconnection of human culture with the interconnectedness of digital information systems. By 2025, 75 billion IoT devices will generate hundreds of zettabytes of data. Cloud computing, big data analytics, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, NFC, LPWA, and 5G facilitate this growth, and nanotechnology improves IoT components. Sensors, devices, network connectivity, data storage, processing, and user interfaces are all essential to the Internet of Things. 

The IoT is everywhere as billions of inanimate devices become "smart," and billions more are added yearly. RFID tags follow produce from harvest to store shelf; GPS systems guide automobiles, ships, and aircraft to their destinations; streetlights dim when no car is nearby; smart room controls turn off the heat, air conditioning, and lights when rooms are vacant. IoT helps businesses and governments identify consumer wants in real-time, increase production processes and industrial efficiencies, and turn communities into smart cities. Nanomaterials can make smaller, more sensitive sensors that can sense temperature, humidity, pressure, and chemical composition. 

Nanosensors use nanoparticles to detect physical, chemical, and biological processes and can improve sensitivity, reaction time, and power usage. Carbon nanotubes and graphene are employed to make sensitive gas and pollution sensors. Sensors consist of tiny gold foil electrodes, graphene layers, and peptides designed to attach to bacteria's membranes in order to detect them. Researchers are exploring ways to power these devices. IoT applications require high conversion efficiency because of the smaller size of the single solar cell, the lower power input in low-light interior environments, and the emission spectra of light sources other than the sun.

Network connectivity, such as sensors and gadgets, needs to communicate. It could be a LAN, WAN, or both. Nanostructures boost network connectivity. Nanomaterials like graphene, quantum dots, and silver nanowires can make smaller, more efficient antennas and other wireless communication components. These materials have strong conductivity and can send signals over long distances without loss. Graphene-based nanoantennas can be used with carbon nanotube nanosensors for wireless communication in the terahertz frequency region. It improves photon-to-electron conversion through a metal nanostructure, which advances data-sharing and processing technologies.