| WHAT IS
NANOTECHNOLOGY?
Nanotechnology is the application of science and engineering at the atomic
scale. It facilitates the construction of new materials and devices by
manipulating individual atoms and molecules, the building blocks of nature.
Nanotechnology enables the atom-by-atom design and fabrication of tiny
structures that are very small, typically 1-100 nanometres, and which have
new properties and powerful application in medicine and biotechnology, in
energy and the environment, and in computing and telecommunications. |
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Nanotechnology is an extension of the
discoveries and applications of quantum mechanics, which last century
led to a detailed understanding of matter on the atomic scale, and to
innovations such as transistors, lasers, and molecular biology. Despite
the knowledge of atoms and molecules gained from quantum theory, only in
the past 15-20 years were techniques such as transmission electron and
scanning probe microscopy developed to directly image, characterize and
deliberately manipulate individual atoms and molecules. It is these
techniques and their application that have led to the recent rapid
advances in nano-scale science and engineering.
Examples of nanotechnology include
engineered materials with nano-structured surfaces that enable highly
efficient catalysis in fuel cells, molecular machines that can diagnose
disease and deliver targeted drug therapies, or the development of
synthetic processes inspired by natural, biological systems to construct
molecular machines for specific purposes. The rich diversity of
invention enabled by nanotechnology may allow revolutionary developments
in medicine, materials, pharmaceuticals, and electronics. The economic
and social impact of nanotechnology may be profound: discoveries and
applications of nanotechnology could lead to a new industrial revolution
in the coming century, and to commercial markets as large as $1.5
trillion per year within 10-15 years.
Nanotechnology is in its early stages
of development, and much remains to be discovered. Building new and
useful devices out of a few atoms or molecules is technically
challenging, and occupies many of today’s preeminent scientists and
engineers in the best laboratories throughout the world. Many of the
principles of how matter functions and organizes on the nano-scale – the
so-called ‘design rules’ – have yet to be developed. A major challenge
is determining how to assemble different types of nano-sized particles
and devices, such as bio-molecules, nano-scale motors, and nano-electronics,
into more complex systems that do new and useful things. Another
challenge is connecting these tiny systems to the outside world so they
can be controlled, monitored and provide useful information.
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