What is Nanotechnology?

“A mobile phone so small that even an ant can use it…” a commercial which clearly highlights the idea that from macro to micro, from micro to nano, Science has become more sophisticated and has naturally entered the realm of what is arbitrarily labeled as nanotechnology.

It is a technology that creates small materials at the scale of molecules by manipulating single atoms. The name nano comes from the size of molecules which is measured in nanometers – or one billionth of a meter (0.000000001 meter). Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at this length scale.

The term nanotechnology was created by Tokyo Science University Professor Norio Taniguchi in 1974 to describe the precision manufacture of materials with nanometer tolerances. In 1986 the term was reinvented and expanded by K. Eric Drexler, in the book Engines of Creation, to the manipulation of matter on the scale of the nano-meter (one billionth of a meter).

The synergetic effect of nanaotechnology is the magic mantra for the millennium. The goal of nanotechnology is to control individual atoms and molecules to create computer chips and other devices that are thousands of times smaller than current technologies permit. Beyond being used in computers, communication and medical related devices, nanotechnology could be used to design other products, change the properties of materials and make advances in biotechnology.



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