What is Nanotechnology?
- Nano is in many realms and is both everyday and cutting edge. We all use products that have nanotechnology in them, but there are also exciting ideas about what might be developed in the future to solve what are currently intractable problems. Products range from the ordinary here-and-now (tough floor coatings, dental repair materials) to truly innovative applications of the future (scavenger cells, space elevator).
- Where will nano go? Nano science and technology can take a number of paths into the future. No one is sure which paths will become reality and how nano and society will interact in the future. A look at some historical examples of scientific and technological innovations can help us imagine some of these unknowns. Examples of past science and technological innovations include particle physics, molecular biology, plastics, computers, and communications.
- Nano means working at supersmall scales to manipulate materials to exhibit new phenomena. How small is the nanoscale? Particles at the nanoscale are smaller than a typical bacterium such as E. coli (which is ~ 3 micrometers), but larger than atoms (which range from 0.1 nm to 0.5 nm). Nano technologies are driven by the behaviors of small collections of atoms and take advantage of special properties at the nanoscale. New tools have made it possible to study and work at the nanoscale.
- It’s different down there! Scale matters. Gravity becomes less important, while electrostatics, friction, increased surface area, and molecular motion become very important at the nanoscale. This gives us big problems if we continue to base our thinking on our macroscale experiences and use our macroscale rules, but it also provides us with big opportunities if we exploit what’s unique at the nanoscale.
- Nano is a people story. Many different kinds of people (including scientists, engineers, technicians, and students) work in interdisciplinary teams to investigate nano and make nano products. The potential of nano science, technology, and engineering are greatly broadened by nano’s interdisciplinary nature. Artists, philosophers, policy analysts, and social scientists are also involved in studying nano and its roles in our society.
- How will nano affect you? Nanotechnology has many social and political implications that are important for us to consider in advance. Possible important issues include job shift, health ethics, toxicity, privacy, security, the human/machine interface, environmental safety, and environmental cleanup.