Investor's Business Daily
Nanotechnology Could Play Big Role In Fighting Terror
Tuesday October 21, 10:21 am ET
By Doug Tsuruoka
There's nothing like a father-son team.
Tech entrepreneur Dan Ratner got together with his scientist dad,Mark Ratner, to write "Nanotechnology and Homeland Security: New Weapons for New Wars," to be released this month by publisher Prentice Hall.
Mark Ratner is a noted nanotech researcher who pioneered using individual molecules as electronic circuits at Northwestern University. Dan Ratner helped run a car sales Web site and co-founded a networking company before age 30.
Their thesis is that nanotechnology, most simply defined as the science of building devices no bigger than a molecule, will play a big role in protecting the U.S. against terror attacks.
Dan Ratner recently spoke with IBD about the book's issues.
IBD: Will nanotech soon play a role in homeland security?
Ratner: Absolutely. Many nano devices are already being used. Others are no more than 10 years out.
The first thing on the list is a variety of sensors that can detect anything from explosives to bioterror agents. Currently, there are no fool-proof tests for detecting explosives. Many types of bombs terrorists use in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can bypass (existing) tests.
IBD: How can nanotech help?
Ratner: It's possible to build nanotech sensors that can sense dangerous chemical and germ agents. These can be 100,000 times more accurate than other tests because they use molecular matching systems to identify substances.
IBD: Can you give examples?
Ratner: One nanotech sensor that already exists uses DNA as its sensing media. The device searches for "hostile" DNA carried by various biowar agents. You can make a library of all the strains of anthrax and smallpox and build it on a chip. You can do the same thing with molecules in order to sense chemical reactions to look for poisonous agents like nerve gas and sarin.
IBD: So you could have bio- or chemical-sensor chips?
Ratner: Yes. These chips also could be used to test for genetic factors that make someone susceptible to cancer. The government and many companies are already onto this stuff.
IBD: What are other areas where nanotech can be used for homeland security?
Ratner: The next area is materials. There are already nanotech-based fabrics on the market that can be worn like Kevlar (body armor) to protect first responders during a terror attack. The big difference is these fabrics are much stronger than Kevlar, by a factor of at least 10 or as high as 50.
IBD: How is such fabric made?
Ratner: They're stronger because they're engineered at the molecular scale. Rather than mix chemicals together to make fabric stronger, you build them from the bottom up, a molecule at a time, by using magnetic or other forces.
IBD: How can nanotech help after a terror attack has taken place?
Ratner: Nanotech can be used in decontamination agents. If an area is attacked with a bio or chemical weapon, the area is contaminated until you remove those agents. One of the neat things about nanoparticles is they are much more reactive than conventional products. They can do a much better job of absorbing or scrubbing an area of agents like sarin gas. There are already several products like this on the market that are based on nanoparticles.
IBD: How will nanotech change military technology?
Ratner: At this point, nanotech is primarily a defensive technology. Most applications involve defending our troops or making them more survivable, rather than making them attack more efficiently.
One way involves developing protective fabrics that shield troops against chemical, bio or other forms of attacks. The work focuses on developing what's called "dynamic smart materials." These are fabrics that can change almost instantly. A soldier could be wearing an open-weave uniform in desert camouflage colors. At the flick of a switch, the pores of the fabric close shut. The result is something similar to a rubber suit that seals out dangerous agents.
IBD: What will be some of the business impacts of using nanotech for homeland security and defense?
Ratner: Nanotech will have an enormous impact on world business, and we are just at the beginning of this. Spending on defense and energy alone is a $4 trillion annual industry, and nanotech will get a big piece of that.
IBD: What are the risks of using nanotech in homeland security?
Ratner: Using nanotech with computers will make it much easier to store and process personal information. This leaves open a door in abusing personal privacy and civil rights. Nanosensors cannot only detect your predilection to cancer, but they also can detect other medical conditions that could make you uninsurable.
IBD: How do you counter this?
Ratner: Adequate oversight by groups that monitor these technologies will be absolutely critical.