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A Brief Introduction to Nanotechnology |
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| Materials with major dimensions above about 100 nanometers have physical, optical, electronic and other properties conforming with familiar Classical Physics. About 100 years ago scientists began to discover that materials with basic dimensions below 1 nanometer behave according to a strange set of counterintuitive rules termed Quantum Physics, where weird effects such as tunneling, spin and entanglement hold sway.
Only recently have scientists begun to discover that structures inhabiting the transition region between 1 nanometer and 100 nanometers (the 'mesoscale') hold even more bizarre surprises, displaying physical properties previously considered unattainable or even impossible. Examples include:
It is theoretically possible to define extremely complex structures involving millions of atoms within a space less than 100 nanometers across, which can exploit the bizarre mesoscale physics. At the nanoscale, physics, chemistry, biology, material science and engineering all converge toward the same principals and tools. National Science Foundation estimates that there will be a $1 trillion global market for nanotechnology in little more than a decade. |
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Nanotechnology manufacturing |
Objects at the nanoscale can be manufactured by either of two basic approaches.
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Where are we now? |
Nanotechnology has already been applied in such products as:
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Near-term future |
Coming soon are:
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Medium-term future |
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Long-term future |
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Copyright © 2002,2003 Nanotech Associates
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