Nanotechnology, the creation and use of materials or devices at extremely small scales.
These materials or devices fall in the range of 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). One nm is equal
to one-billionth of a meter (.000000001 m), which is about 50,000 times smaller than the
diameter of a human hair. Scientists refer to the dimensional range of 1 to 100 nm as the
nanoscale, and materials at this scale are called nanocrystals or nanomaterials.
The nanoscale is unique because nothing solid can be made any smaller.
It is also unique because many of the mechanisms of the biological and physical world
operate on length scales from 0.1 to 100 nm. At these dimensions materials exhibit
different physical properties; thus scientists expect that many novel effects at the
nanoscale will be discovered and used for breakthrough technologies.
A number of important breakthroughs have already occurred in nanotechnology.
These developments are found in products used throughout the world. Some examples are catalytic
converters in automobiles that help remove air pollutants, devices in computers that read from
and write to the hard disk, certain sunscreens and cosmetics that transparently block harmful
radiation from the Sun, and special coatings for sports clothes and gear that help improve the
gear and possibly enhance the athlete’s performance. Still, many scientists, engineers, and
technologists believe they have only scratched the surface of nanotechnology’s potential.
Nanotechnology is in its infancy, and no one can predict with accuracy what will result
from the full flowering of the field over the next several decades. Many scientists believe
it can be said with confidence, however, that nanotechnology will have a major impact on
medicine and health care; energy production and conservation; environmental cleanup and
protection; electronics, computers, and sensors; and world security and defense.
These materials or devices fall in the range of 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). One nm is equal
to one-billionth of a meter (.000000001 m), which is about 50,000 times smaller than the
diameter of a human hair. Scientists refer to the dimensional range of 1 to 100 nm as the
nanoscale, and materials at this scale are called nanocrystals or nanomaterials.
The nanoscale is unique because nothing solid can be made any smaller.
It is also unique because many of the mechanisms of the biological and physical world
operate on length scales from 0.1 to 100 nm. At these dimensions materials exhibit
different physical properties; thus scientists expect that many novel effects at the
nanoscale will be discovered and used for breakthrough technologies.
A number of important breakthroughs have already occurred in nanotechnology.
These developments are found in products used throughout the world. Some examples are catalytic
converters in automobiles that help remove air pollutants, devices in computers that read from
and write to the hard disk, certain sunscreens and cosmetics that transparently block harmful
radiation from the Sun, and special coatings for sports clothes and gear that help improve the
gear and possibly enhance the athlete’s performance. Still, many scientists, engineers, and
technologists believe they have only scratched the surface of nanotechnology’s potential.
Nanotechnology is in its infancy, and no one can predict with accuracy what will result
from the full flowering of the field over the next several decades. Many scientists believe
it can be said with confidence, however, that nanotechnology will have a major impact on
medicine and health care; energy production and conservation; environmental cleanup and
protection; electronics, computers, and sensors; and world security and defense.
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