Outline of nanotechnology
Encyclopedia
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to nanotechnology:
Nanotechnology
– study of physical phenomena on the nanoscale, dealing with things measured in nanometre
s, billionths of a meter.
– any molecule composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Fullerene spheres and tubes have applications in nanotechnology.
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Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
– study of physical phenomena on the nanoscale, dealing with things measured in nanometre
Nanometre
A nanometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billionth of a metre. The name combines the SI prefix nano- with the parent unit name metre .The nanometre is often used to express dimensions on the atomic scale: the diameter...
s, billionths of a meter.
Branches of nanotechnology
- Green nanotechnologyGreen nanotechnologyGreen nanotechnology refers to the use of nanotechnology to enhance the environmental-sustainability of processes currently producing negative externalities. It also refers to the use of the products of nanotechnology to enhance sustainability...
– use of nanotechnology to enhance the environmental-sustainability of processes currently producing negative externalities. It also refers to the use of the products of nanotechnology to enhance sustainability. - NanoengineeringNanoengineeringNanoengineering is the practice of engineering on the nanoscale. It derives its name from the nanometre, a unit of measurement equalling one billionth of a meter....
– practice of engineering on the nanoscale. - Wet nanotechnology – involves working up to large masses from small ones.
Multi-disciplinary fields that include nanotechnology
- NanobiotechnologyNanobiotechnologyBionanotechnology, nanobiotechnology, and nanobiology are terms that refer to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology. Given that the subject is one that has only emerged very recently, bionanotechnology and nanobiotechnology serve as blanket terms for various related technologies.This...
– intersection of nanotechnology and biology . - Ceramic engineeringCeramic engineeringCeramic engineering is the science and technology of creating objects from inorganic, non-metallic materials. This is done either by the action of heat, or at lower temperatures using precipitation reactions from high purity chemical solutions...
– science and technology of creating objects from inorganic, non-metallic materials. - Materials scienceMaterials scienceMaterials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
– interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. It investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties.- NanoarchitectonicsNanoarchitectonicsNanoarchitectonics is a scientific jargon term coined at the National Institute for Materials Science for one of its leading units, International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics...
– arranging nanoscale structural units, which are usually a group of atoms or molecules, in an intended configuration.
- Nanoarchitectonics
Nanoscience
- NanoelectronicsNanoelectronicsNanoelectronics refer to the use of nanotechnology on electronic components, especially transistors. Although the term nanotechnology is generally defined as utilizing technology less than 100 nm in size, nanoelectronics often refer to transistor devices that are so small that inter-atomic...
– use of nanotechnology on electronic components, including transistors so small that inter-atomic interactions and quantum mechanical properties need to be studied extensively. - NanomechanicsNanomechanicsNanomechanics is a branch of nanoscience studying fundamental mechanical properties of physical systems at the nanometer scale. Nanomechanics has emerged on the crossroads of classical mechanics, solid-state physics, statistical mechanics, materials science, and quantum chemistry...
– branch of nanoscience studying fundamental mechanical (elastic, thermal and kinetic) properties of physical systems at the nanometer scale. - NanophotonicsNanophotonicsNanophotonics or Nano-optics is the study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale. It is considered as a branch of optical engineering which deals with optics, or the interaction of light with particles or substances, at deeply subwavelength length scales...
– study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale.
Other contributing fields
- CalculusCalculusCalculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
- ChemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
- Computer scienceComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
- EngineeringEngineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
- MiniaturizationMiniaturizationMiniaturization is the creation of ever-smaller scales for mechanical, optical, and electronic products and devices...
- PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
- Protein engineeringProtein engineeringProtein engineering is the process of developing useful or valuable proteins. It is a young discipline, with much research taking place into the understanding of protein folding and recognition for protein design principles....
- Quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
- Self-organizationSelf-organizationSelf-organization is the process where a structure or pattern appears in a system without a central authority or external element imposing it through planning...
- ScienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
- Supramolecular chemistrySupramolecular chemistrySupramolecular chemistry refers to the area of chemistry beyond the molecules and focuses on the chemical systems made up of a discrete number of assembled molecular subunits or components...
- Tissue engineeringTissue engineeringTissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering and materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physio-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions...
Risks of nanotechnology
- Main article: Implications of nanotechnologyImplications of nanotechnologyThe impact of nanotechnology extend from its medical, ethical, mental, legal and environmental applications, to fields such as engineering, biology, chemistry, computing, materials science, military applications, and communications....
- Grey gooGrey gooGrey goo is a hypothetical end-of-the-world scenario involving molecular nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating robots consume all matter on Earth while building more of themselves, a scenario known as ecophagy .Self-replicating machines of the macroscopic variety were originally...
– hypothetical end-of-the-world scenario involving molecular nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating robots consume all matter on Earth while building more of themselves, a scenario known as ecophagy ("eating the environment").
Applications of nanotechnology
- Main article: List of nanotechnology applications
- Energy applications of nanotechnologyEnergy applications of nanotechnologyOver the past few decades, the fields of science and engineering have been seeking to develop new and improved types of energy technologies that have the capability of improving life all over the world. In order to make the next leap forward from the current generation of technology, scientists...
- Quantum computing – computation using quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform data operations.
Nanomaterials
- NanomaterialsNanomaterialsNanomaterials is a field that takes a materials science-based approach to nanotechnology. It studies materials with morphological features on the nanoscale, and especially those that have special properties stemming from their nanoscale dimensions...
– field that studies materials with morphological features on the nanoscale, and especially those that have special properties stemming from their nanoscale dimensions.
Fullerenes and carbon forms
FullereneFullerene
A fullerene is any molecule composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Spherical fullerenes are also called buckyballs, and they resemble the balls used in association football. Cylindrical ones are called carbon nanotubes or buckytubes...
– any molecule composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Fullerene spheres and tubes have applications in nanotechnology.
- Allotropes of carbonAllotropes of carbonThis is a list of the allotropes of carbon.-Diamond:Diamond is one of the most well known allotropes of carbon. The hardness and high dispersion of light of diamond make it useful for both industrial applications and jewellery. Diamond is the hardest known natural mineral. This makes it an...
– - Aggregated diamond nanorodsAggregated diamond nanorodsAggregated diamond nanorods, or ADNRs, are a nanocrystalline form of diamond, also known as "nanodiamond" or hyperdiamond. Nanodiamond was convincingly demonstrated to be produced by compression of graphite in 2003 and in the same work found to be much harder than bulk diamond, which makes it the...
– - BuckypaperBuckypaperBuckypaper is a thin sheet made from an aggregate of carbon nanotubes. The nanotubes are approximately 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. Originally, it was fabricated as a way to handle carbon nanotubes, but it is also being studied and developed into applications by several research groups,...
– - Carbon nanofoamCarbon nanofoamCarbon nanofoam is an allotrope of carbon discovered in 1997 by Andrei V. Rode and co-workers at the Australian National University in Canberra. It consists of a low-density cluster-assembly of carbon atoms strung together in a loose three-dimensional web....
– - Carbon nanotubeCarbon nanotubeCarbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure. Nanotubes have been constructed with length-to-diameter ratio of up to 132,000,000:1, significantly larger than for any other material...
–- Nanoknot –
- Nanotube membraneNanotube membraneNanotube membrane is either a single, open-ended nanotube or a film composed of open-ended nanotubes that are oriented perpendicularly to the surface of an impermeable film matrix like the cells of a honeycomb. 'Impermeable' is essential here to distinguish nanotube membrane with traditional, well...
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- Fullerene chemistryFullerene chemistryFullerene chemistry is a field of organic chemistry devoted to the chemical properties of fullerenes. Research in this field is driven by the need to functionalize fullerenes and tune their properties. For example fullerene is notoriously insoluble and adding a suitable group can enhance...
–- Bingel reactionBingel reactionThe Bingel reaction in fullerene chemistry is a fullerene cyclopropanation reaction to a methanofullerene first discovered by C. Bingel in 1993 with the bromo derivative of diethyl malonate in the presence of a base such as sodium hydride or DBU...
– - Endohedral hydrogen fullereneEndohedral hydrogen fullereneEndohedral hydrogen fullerene or H2@C60 is an endohedral fullerene containing molecular hydrogen. This chemical compound has a potential application in molecular electronics and was synthesized in 2005 at Kyoto University by the group of Koichi Komatsu...
– - Prato reactionPrato reactionThe Prato reaction in fullerene chemistry describes the functionalization of fullerenes and nanotubes with azomethine ylides in a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition...
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- Bingel reaction
- Fullerenes in popular cultureFullerenes in popular culture-Fine art:Physicist-turned-artist Julian Voss-Andreae has created several sculptures symbolizing wave-particle duality in Buckminsterfullerenes. Voss-Andreae participated in research demonstrating that even objects as large as Buckminsterfullerenes obey the peculiar laws of quantum physics. After...
– - Endohedral fullerenesEndohedral fullerenesEndohedral fullerenes are fullerenes that have additional atoms, ions, or clusters enclosed within their inner spheres. The first lanthanum C60 complex was synthesized in 1985 called La@C60. The @ sign in the name reflects the notion of a small molecule trapped inside a shell...
– - Fullerite –
- GrapheneGrapheneGraphene is an allotrope of carbon, whose structure is one-atom-thick planar sheets of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. The term graphene was coined as a combination of graphite and the suffix -ene by Hanns-Peter Boehm, who described single-layer...
–- Graphene nanoribbon –
- Potential applications of carbon nanotubesPotential applications of carbon nanotubesCarbon nanotubes, a type of fullerene, have potential in fields such as nanotechnology, electronics, optics, materials science, and architecture. Over the years new applications have taken advantage of their unique electrical properties, extraordinary strength, and efficiency in heat...
– - Timeline of carbon nanotubesTimeline of carbon nanotubes-1952:* Radushkevich and Lukyanovich publish a paper in the Soviet Journal of Physical Chemistry showing hollow graphitic carbon fibers that are 50 nanometers in diameter.-1960:...
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Nanoparticles and colloids
NanoparticleNanoparticle
In nanotechnology, a particle is defined as a small object that behaves as a whole unit in terms of its transport and properties. Particles are further classified according to size : in terms of diameter, coarse particles cover a range between 10,000 and 2,500 nanometers. Fine particles are sized...
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- Ceramics processing –
- ColloidColloidA colloid is a substance microscopically dispersed evenly throughout another substance.A colloidal system consists of two separate phases: a dispersed phase and a continuous phase . A colloidal system may be solid, liquid, or gaseous.Many familiar substances are colloids, as shown in the chart below...
– - Colloidal crystalColloidal crystalA colloidal crystal is an ordered array of colloid particles, analogous to a standard crystal whose repeating subunits are atoms or molecules. A natural example of this phenomenon can be found in the gem opal, where spheres of silica assume a close-packed locally periodic structure under moderate...
– - Diamondoids –
- NanocompositeNanocompositeA nanocomposite is as a multiphase solid material where one of the phases has one, two or three dimensions of less than 100 nanometers , or structures having nano-scale repeat distances between the different phases that make up the material...
– - NanocrystalNanocrystalB. D. Fahlman has described a nanocrystal as any nanomaterial with at least one dimension ≤ 100nm and that is singlecrystalline.-Summary:More properly, any material with a dimension of less than 1 micrometre, i.e., 1000 nanometers, should be referred to as a nanoparticle, not a nanocrystal...
– - NanostructureNanostructureA nanostructure is an object of intermediate size between molecular and microscopic structures.In describing nanostructures it is necessary to differentiate between the number of dimensions on the nanoscale. Nanotextured surfaces have one dimension on the nanoscale, i.e., only the thickness of the...
–- NanocagesNanocagesInorganic Nanocages are hollow porous gold nanoparticles ranging in size from 10 to over 150 nm. They are created by reacting silver nanoparticles with chloroauric acid in boiling water. While gold nanoparticles absorb light in the visible spectrum of light , gold nanocages absorb light in the...
– - NanocompositeNanocompositeA nanocomposite is as a multiphase solid material where one of the phases has one, two or three dimensions of less than 100 nanometers , or structures having nano-scale repeat distances between the different phases that make up the material...
– - NanofabricsNanofabricsNanofabrics is an emerging nanotechnology that deals with building specialized fabrics. Active Camouflage is a costume that hides the wearer by redirecting light from one side to the other.- Some actual quasi-nanofabrics :...
– - NanofiberNanofiberNanofibers are defined as fibers with diameters less than 1000 nm nanometers. They can be produced by interfacial polymerization and electrospinning...
– - NanofoamNanofoamNanofoams are a class of nanostructured, porous materials, foams, containing a significant population of pores with diameters less than 100 nm. Aerogels are one example of nanofoam.- Metal Nanofoams :...
– - Nanoknot –
- NanomeshNanomeshThe nanomesh is a new inorganic nanostructured two-dimensional material, similar to graphene. It was discovered in 2003 at the University of Zurich, Switzerland....
– - NanopillarNanopillar-See also:*Ion track technology *MEMS*Nanotechnology*Nanorod- External links :* *...
– - Nanopin filmNanopin filmNanopin film is an experimental material in nanotechnology developed in 2005 with unusual superhydrophobic properties . A droplet of water makes contact with the surface of this film and forms an almost perfect sphere with a contact angle of 178°. The film is able to do this because it is covered...
– - NanoringNanoringA nanoring is a small ringformed crystal. The first nanoring made was a zinc oxide nanoring discovered by researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology. They are made by a spontaneous self-coiling process of nanobelts. Many layers of nanobelts are rolled together as coils, layer-by-layer.-External...
– - NanorodNanorodIn nanotechnology, nanorods are one morphology of nanoscale objects. Each of their dimensions range from 1–100 nm. They may be synthesized from metals or semiconducting materials. Standard aspect ratios are 3-5. Nanorods are produced by direct chemical synthesis...
– - NanoshellNanoshellA nanoshell is a type of spherical nanoparticle consisting of a dielectric core which is covered by a thin metallic shell . These nanoshells involve a quasiparticle called plasmon which is a collective excitation or quantum plasma oscillation where the electrons simultaneously oscillate with...
– - NanotubeCarbon nanotubeCarbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure. Nanotubes have been constructed with length-to-diameter ratio of up to 132,000,000:1, significantly larger than for any other material...
– - Quantum dotQuantum dotA quantum dot is a portion of matter whose excitons are confined in all three spatial dimensions. Consequently, such materials have electronic properties intermediate between those of bulk semiconductors and those of discrete molecules. They were discovered at the beginning of the 1980s by Alexei...
– - Quantum heterostructureQuantum heterostructureQuantum heterostructure is a heterostructure in a substrate , where size restricts the movements of the charge carriers forcing them into a quantum confinement. This leads to the formation of a set of discrete energy levels at which the carriers can exist...
– - Sculptured thin filmSculptured thin filmSculptured thin films are nanostructured materials with unidirectionally varying properties that can be designed and realized in a controllable manner using variants of physical vapor deposition...
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- Nanocages
Nanomedicine
NanomedicineNanomedicine
Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. Nanomedicine ranges from the medical applications of nanomaterials, to nanoelectronic biosensors, and even possible future applications of molecular nanotechnology. Current problems for nanomedicine involve understanding the issues related...
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- Lab-on-a-chipLab-on-a-chipA lab-on-a-chip is a device that integrates one or several laboratory functions on a single chip of only millimeters to a few square centimeters in size. LOCs deal with the handling of extremely small fluid volumes down to less than pico liters. Lab-on-a-chip devices are a subset of MEMS devices...
– - NanobiotechnologyNanobiotechnologyBionanotechnology, nanobiotechnology, and nanobiology are terms that refer to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology. Given that the subject is one that has only emerged very recently, bionanotechnology and nanobiotechnology serve as blanket terms for various related technologies.This...
– - NanosensorNanosensorNanosensors are any biological, chemical, or surgical sensory points used to convey information about nanoparticles to the macroscopic world. Their use mainly include various medicinal purposes and as gateways to building other nanoproducts, such as computer chips that work at the nanoscale and...
– - NanotoxicologyNanotoxicologyNanotoxicology is the study of the toxicity of nanomaterials. Because of quantum size effects and large surface area to volume ratio, nanomaterials have unique properties compared with their larger counterparts....
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Molecular self-assembly
Molecular self-assemblyMolecular self-assembly
Molecular self-assembly is the process by which molecules adopt a defined arrangement without guidance or management from an outside source. There are two types of self-assembly, intramolecular self-assembly and intermolecular self-assembly...
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- DNA nanotechnologyDNA nanotechnologyDNA nanotechnology is a branch of nanotechnology which uses the molecular recognition properties of DNA and other nucleic acids to create designed, artificial structures out of DNA for technological purposes. In this field, DNA is used as a structural material rather than as a carrier of genetic...
–- DNA computingDNA computingDNA computing is a form of computing which uses DNA, biochemistry and molecular biology, instead of the traditional silicon-based computer technologies. DNA computing, or, more generally, biomolecular computing, is a fast developing interdisciplinary area...
– - DNA machineDNA machineA DNA machine is a molecular machine constructed from DNA. Research into DNA machines was pioneered in the late 1980s by Nadrian Seeman and co-workers from New York University...
– - DNA origamiDNA origamiDNA origami is the nanoscale folding of DNA to create arbitrary two and three dimensional shapes at the nanoscale. The specificity of the interactions between complementary base pairs make DNA a useful construction material through design of its base sequences...
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- DNA computing
- Self-assembled monolayerSelf-assembled monolayerA self assembled monolayer is an organized layer of amphiphilic molecules in which one end of the molecule, the “head group” shows a specific, reversible affinity for a substrate...
– - Supramolecular assemblySupramolecular assemblyA supramolecular assembly or "supermolecule" is a well defined complex of molecules held together by noncovalent bonds. While a supramolecular assembly can be simply composed of two molecules , it is more often used to denote larger complexes of molecules that form sphere-, rod-, or sheet-like...
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Nanoelectronics
NanoelectronicsNanoelectronics
Nanoelectronics refer to the use of nanotechnology on electronic components, especially transistors. Although the term nanotechnology is generally defined as utilizing technology less than 100 nm in size, nanoelectronics often refer to transistor devices that are so small that inter-atomic...
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- Break junctionBreak junctionA break junction is a electronic device which consists of two metal wires separated by a very thin gap, on the order of the inter-atomic spacing . This can be done by physically pulling the wires apart or through chemical etching or electromigration...
– - Chemical vapor depositionChemical vapor depositionChemical vapor deposition is a chemical process used to produce high-purity, high-performance solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films. In a typical CVD process, the wafer is exposed to one or more volatile precursors, which react and/or...
– - Microelectromechanical systemsMicroelectromechanical systemsMicroelectromechanical systems is the technology of very small mechanical devices driven by electricity; it merges at the nano-scale into nanoelectromechanical systems and nanotechnology...
(MEMS) - Nanocircuits –
- NanocomputerNanocomputerNanocomputer is the logical name for a computer smaller than the microcomputer, which is smaller than the minicomputer. More technically, it is a computer whose fundamental parts are no bigger than a few nanometers...
– - Nanoelectromechanical systemsNanoelectromechanical systemsNanoelectromechanical systems are devices integrating electrical and mechanical functionality on the nanoscale. NEMS form the logical next miniaturization step from so-called microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS devices...
(NEMS) - Surface micromachiningSurface micromachiningUnlike Bulk micromachining, where a silicon substrate is selectively etched to produce structures, surface micromachining builds microstructures by deposition and etching of different structural layers on top of the substrate....
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Nanolithography
NanolithographyNanolithography
Nanolithography is the branch of nanotechnology concerned with the study and application of fabricating nanometer-scale structures, meaning patterns with at least one lateral dimension between the size of an individual atom and approximately 100 nm...
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- Dip Pen NanolithographyDip Pen NanolithographyDip Pen Nanolithography began as a scanning probe lithography technique where an atomic force microscope tip was used to transfer alkane thiolates to a gold surface. This technique allows surface patterning on scales of under 100 nanometers...
– - Electron beam lithographyElectron beam lithographyElectron beam lithography is the practice of emitting a beam of electrons in a patterned fashion across a surface covered with a film , and of selectively removing either exposed or non-exposed regions of the resist...
– - Ion-beam sculptingIon-beam sculptingIon-Beam scultping is a term used to describe a two-step process to make solid-state nanopores. The term itself was coined by Golovchenko and co-workers at Harvard in the paper "Ion-beam sculpting at nanometer length scales." The term refers to the fact that solid-state nanopores are formed by...
– - Nanoimprint lithographyNanoimprint LithographyNanoimprint lithography is a method of fabricating nanometer scale patterns. It is a simple nanolithography process with low cost, high throughput and high resolution. It creates patterns by mechanical deformation of imprint resist and subsequent processes. The imprint resist is typically a monomer...
– - PhotolithographyPhotolithographyPhotolithography is a process used in microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film or the bulk of a substrate. It uses light to transfer a geometric pattern from a photomask to a light-sensitive chemical "photoresist", or simply "resist," on the substrate...
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Molecular nanotechnology
Molecular nanotechnologyMolecular nanotechnology
Molecular nanotechnology is a technology based on the ability to build structures to complex, atomic specifications by means of mechanosynthesis. This is distinct from nanoscale materials...
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- Grey gooGrey gooGrey goo is a hypothetical end-of-the-world scenario involving molecular nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating robots consume all matter on Earth while building more of themselves, a scenario known as ecophagy .Self-replicating machines of the macroscopic variety were originally...
– - MechanosynthesisMechanosynthesisMechanosynthesis is any chemical synthesis in which reaction outcomes are determined by the use of mechanical constraints to direct reactive molecules to specific molecular sites.-Introduction:...
– - Molecular assemblerMolecular assemblerA molecular assembler, as defined by K. Eric Drexler, is a "proposed device able to guide chemical reactions by positioning reactive molecules with atomic precision". Some biological molecules such as ribosomes fit this definition. This is because they receive instructions from messenger RNA and...
– - Molecular modellingMolecular modellingMolecular modelling encompasses all theoretical methods and computational techniques used to model or mimic the behaviour of molecules. The techniques are used in the fields of computational chemistry, computational biology and materials science for studying molecular systems ranging from small...
– - NanoroboticsNanoroboticsNanorobotics is the emerging technology field of creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometer . More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size from...
–- SmartdustSmartdustSmartdust is a hypothetical system of many tiny microelectromechanical systems such as sensors, robots, or other devices, that can detect, for example, light, temperature, vibration, magnetism or chemicals; are usually networked wirelessly; and are distributed over some area to perform tasks,...
– - Utility fogUtility fogUtility fog is a hypothetical collection of tiny robots that can replicate a physical structure. As such, it is a form of self-reconfiguring modular robotics.-Conception:...
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- Smartdust
- Nanochondria –
- Programmable matterProgrammable matterProgrammable matter refers to matter which has the ability to change its physical properties in a programmable fashion, based upon user input or autonomous sensing...
– - Self reconfigurable –
- Self-replicationSelf-replicationSelf-replication is any behavior of a dynamical system that yields construction of an identical copy of that dynamical system. Biological cells, given suitable environments, reproduce by cell division. During cell division, DNA is replicated and can be transmitted to offspring during reproduction...
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Devices
- MicromachineryMicromachineryMicromachines are mechanical objects that are fabricated in the same general manner as integrated circuits. They are generally considered to be between 100 nanometres to 100 micrometres in size, though that is debatable. The applications of micromachines include accelerometers that detect when a...
– - Nano-abacusNano-abacusThe nano-abacus is a nano-sized abacus developed by IBM scientists. Stable rows made up of ten molecules act as the railings of the abacus. The beads are made up of fullerene and are pushed around by the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The nano-abacus has the potential to be used in a...
– - NanomotorNanomotorA nanomotor is a molecular device capable of converting energy into movement. It can typically generate forces on the order of piconewtons.A proposed branch of research is the integration of molecular motor proteins found in living cells into molecular motors implanted in artificial devices...
– - NanoporeNanoporeA nanopore is a small hole. It may, for example, be created by a pore-forming protein or as a hole in synthetic materials such as silicon or graphene....
–- Nanopore sequencingNanopore sequencingNanopore sequencing is a method under development since 1995 for determining the order in which nucleotides occur on a strand of DNA.A nanopore is simply a small hole, of the order of 1 nanometer in internal diameter...
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- Nanopore sequencing
- Quantum point contactQuantum point contactA Quantum Point Contact is a narrow constriction between two wide electrically conducting regions, of a width comparable to the electronic wavelength . Quantum point contacts were first reported in 1988 by a Dutch group and, independently, by a British group...
– - Synthetic molecular motorsSynthetic molecular motorsSynthetic molecular motors are molecular machines capable of rotation under energy input. Although the term "molecular motor" has traditionally referred to a naturally occurring protein that induces motion , some groups also use the term when referring to non-biological, non-peptide synthetic...
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Microscopes and other devices
MicroscopyMicroscopy
Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view samples and objects that cannot be seen with the unaided eye...
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- Atomic force microscopeAtomic force microscopeAtomic force microscopy or scanning force microscopy is a very high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy, with demonstrated resolution on the order of fractions of a nanometer, more than 1000 times better than the optical diffraction limit...
– - Scanning tunneling microscopeScanning tunneling microscopeA scanning tunneling microscope is an instrument for imaging surfaces at the atomic level. Its development in 1981 earned its inventors, Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer , the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986. For an STM, good resolution is considered to be 0.1 nm lateral resolution and...
– - Scanning probe microscope –
- IBM MillipedeIBM MillipedeMillipede is a non-volatile computer memory stored on nanoscopic pits burned into the surface of a thin polymer layer, read and written by a MEMS-based probe...
– - SarfusSarfusSarfus is an optical quantitative imaging technique based on the association of:*an upright or inverted optical microscope in crossed polarization configuration and*specific supporting plates - called surfs - on which the sample to observe is deposited....
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Notable organizations in nanotechnology
- Main article: List of nanotechnology organizations
Government
- National Cancer InstituteNational Cancer InstituteThe National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
(US) - National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
(US) - National Nanotechnology InitiativeNational Nanotechnology InitiativeThe National Nanotechnology Initiative is a United States federal nanoscale science, engineering, and technology research and development program...
(US) - Russian Nanotechnology CorporationRussian Nanotechnology CorporationRusnano is a joint-stock company created and owned by the government of Russia and aimed at commercializing developments in nanotechnology...
(RU) - Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) (EU)
Advocacy and information groups
- American Chemistry CouncilAmerican Chemistry CouncilThe American Chemistry Council , formerly known as the Manufacturing Chemists' Association and then as the Chemical Manufacturers' Association , is an industry trade association for American chemical companies, based in Washington, D.C.-Activities:The mission of the American Chemistry Council is...
(US) - American Nano Society (US)
- Center for Responsible NanotechnologyCenter for Responsible NanotechnologyCenter for Responsible Nanotechnology is a non-profit research and advocacy organization with a focus on molecular manufacturing and its possible effects, both positive and negative...
(US) - Foresight InstituteForesight InstituteThe Foresight Institute is a Palo Alto, California-based nonprofit organization for promoting transformative technologies. They sponsor conferences on molecular nanotechnology, publish reports, and produce a newsletter....
(US) - Project on Emerging NanotechnologiesProject on Emerging NanotechnologiesThe Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies was established in 2005 as a partnership between the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Pew Charitable Trusts. The Project is intended to address the social, political, and public safety aspects of nanotechnology...
(global)
Notable figures in nanotechnology
- Vicki Colvin Director for the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, Rice University
- Norio TaniguchiNorio Taniguchiwas a professor of Tokyo University of Science. He coined the term nano-technology in 1974 to describe semiconductor processes such as thin film deposition and ion beam milling exhibiting characteristic control on the order of a nanometer: "Nano-technology' mainly consists of the processing of...
- coined the term "nanotechnology" - Richard FeynmanRichard FeynmanRichard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics...
- gave the first mention of some of the distinguishing concepts in a 1959 talk - Eric Drexler - was the first to theorise about nanotechnology in depth and popularised the subject
- Robert FreitasRobert FreitasRobert A. Freitas Jr. is a Senior Research Fellow, one of four researchers at the nonprofit foundation Institute for Molecular Manufacturing in Palo Alto, California. He holds a 1974 Bachelor's degree majoring in both physics and psychology from Harvey Mudd College, and a 1978 Juris Doctor degree...
- nanomedicine theorist - Ralph MerkleRalph MerkleRalph C. Merkle is a researcher in public key cryptography, and more recently a researcher and speaker on molecular nanotechnology and cryonics...
- nanotechnology theorist - Joseph WangJoseph WangJoseph Wang is a professor of Nanoengineering at the University of California, San Diego specializing in biosensors, nanosensors, nanomachines and electrochemistry. Wang's research group has built the fastest nanomotors to date.-Biography:...
- pioneer in electrochemical sensors xploiting nanostructured materials; synthetic nanomotors - Sumio IijimaSumio IijimaSumio Iijima is a Japanese physicist, often cited as the discoverer of carbon nanotubes. Although carbon nanotubes had been observed prior to his "discovery", Iijima's 1991 paper generated unprecedented interest in the carbon nanostructures and has since fueled intense research in the area of...
- discoverer of carbon nanotubeCarbon nanotubeCarbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure. Nanotubes have been constructed with length-to-diameter ratio of up to 132,000,000:1, significantly larger than for any other material... - Richard SmalleyRichard SmalleyRichard Errett Smalley was the Gene and Norman Hackerman Professor of Chemistry and a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University, in Houston, Texas...
- co-discoverer of buckminsterfullereneBuckminsterfullereneBuckminsterfullerene is a spherical fullerene molecule with the formula . It was first intentionally prepared in 1985 by Harold Kroto, James Heath, Sean O'Brien, Robert Curl and Richard Smalley at Rice University... - Harry Kroto - co-discoverer of buckminsterfullereneBuckminsterfullereneBuckminsterfullerene is a spherical fullerene molecule with the formula . It was first intentionally prepared in 1985 by Harold Kroto, James Heath, Sean O'Brien, Robert Curl and Richard Smalley at Rice University...
- Erwin Wilhelm MüllerErwin Wilhelm MüllerErwin Wilhelm Müller was a German physicist who invented the Field Emission Electron Microscope , the Field Ion Microscope , and the Atom-Probe Field Ion Microscope...
- invented the field ion microscopeField ion microscopeField ion microscopy is an analytical technique used in materials science. The field ion microscope is a type of microscope that can be used to image the arrangement of atoms at the surface of a sharp metal tip....
, and the atom probeAtom probeThe atom probe is a microscope used in material science that was invented in 1967 by Erwin Wilhelm Müller, J. A. Panitz, and S. Brooks McLane. The atom probe is closely related to the method of Field Ion Microscopy, which is the first microscopic method to achieve atomic resolution, occurring in...
. - Gerd BinnigGerd BinnigGerd Binnig is a German physicist, and a Nobel laureate.He was born in Frankfurt am Main and played in the ruins of the city during his childhood. His family lived partly in Frankfurt and partly in Offenbach am Main, and he attended school in both cities. At the age of 10, he decided to become a...
- co-inventor of the scanning tunneling microscopeScanning tunneling microscopeA scanning tunneling microscope is an instrument for imaging surfaces at the atomic level. Its development in 1981 earned its inventors, Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer , the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986. For an STM, good resolution is considered to be 0.1 nm lateral resolution and... - Heinrich RohrerHeinrich RohrerHeinrich Rohrer is a Swiss physicist who shared half of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics with Gerd Binnig for the design of the scanning tunneling microscope .-Biography:...
- co-inventor of the scanning tunneling microscopeScanning tunneling microscopeA scanning tunneling microscope is an instrument for imaging surfaces at the atomic level. Its development in 1981 earned its inventors, Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer , the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986. For an STM, good resolution is considered to be 0.1 nm lateral resolution and... - Chris PhoenixChris Phoenix (nanotechnologist)Chris Phoenix is the co-founder and Director of Research of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology , and has worked in the field of advanced nanotechnology for over 15 years. He obtained his BS in Symbolic Systems and MS in Computer Science from Stanford University in 1991...
- co-founder of the Center for Responsible NanotechnologyCenter for Responsible NanotechnologyCenter for Responsible Nanotechnology is a non-profit research and advocacy organization with a focus on molecular manufacturing and its possible effects, both positive and negative... - Mike Treder - co-founder of the Center for Responsible NanotechnologyCenter for Responsible NanotechnologyCenter for Responsible Nanotechnology is a non-profit research and advocacy organization with a focus on molecular manufacturing and its possible effects, both positive and negative...
- Phaedon AvourisPhaedon AvourisPhaedon Avouris is a Greek American chemical physicist. He is an IBM Fellow and the group leader for Nanometer Scale Science and Technology at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York.-Education and Research Interests:...
- first electronic devices made out of carbon nanotubes - Akhlesh Lakhtakia - conceptualized sculptured thin filmSculptured thin filmSculptured thin films are nanostructured materials with unidirectionally varying properties that can be designed and realized in a controllable manner using variants of physical vapor deposition...
s - Alex ZettlAlex ZettlAlex Zettl is an American professor of experimental condensed-matter physics. His research involving the properties of novel materials have produced significant advances in the field.-Biography:...
- Built the first molecular motor based on carbon nanotubes - Andre GeimAndre GeimAndre Konstantin Geim, FRS is a Dutch-Russian-British physicist working at the University of Manchester. Geim was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Konstantin Novoselov for his work on graphene...
- Discoverer of 2-D carbon film called grapheneGrapheneGraphene is an allotrope of carbon, whose structure is one-atom-thick planar sheets of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. The term graphene was coined as a combination of graphite and the suffix -ene by Hanns-Peter Boehm, who described single-layer... - Carlo Montemagno - inventor ATP nanobiomechanical motor (UCLA)
- Russell M. Taylor II - co-director of the UNC CISMM
- Adriano Cavalcanti - nanorobot expert working at CAN
- Lajos P. Balogh - editor in chief of Nanomedicine: NBM journal
- Charles M. Lieber - pioneer on nanoscale materials (Harvard)
See also
- NBI KnowledgebaseNBI KnowledgebaseNBI is short for the Nanomaterial-Biological Interactions Knowledgebase. The knowledgebase serves as a repository for annotated data on nanomaterial characterization , synthesis methods, and nanomaterial-biological interactions defined at multiple levels of biological...
- Catalyst
- MacromoleculeMacromoleculeA macromolecule is a very large molecule commonly created by some form of polymerization. In biochemistry, the term is applied to the four conventional biopolymers , as well as non-polymeric molecules with large molecular mass such as macrocycles...
- Mesh networkingMesh networkingMesh networking is a type of networking where each node must not only capture and disseminate its own data, but also serve as a relay for other nodes, that is, it must collaborate to propagate the data in the network....
- MonolayerMonolayer- Chemistry :A Langmuir monolayer or insoluble monolayer is a one-molecule thick layer of an insoluble organic material spread onto an aqueous subphase. Traditional compounds used to prepare Langmuir monolayers are amphiphilic materials that possess a hydrophilic headgroup and a hydrophobic tail...
- Nanometer
- NBI KnowledgebaseNBI KnowledgebaseNBI is short for the Nanomaterial-Biological Interactions Knowledgebase. The knowledgebase serves as a repository for annotated data on nanomaterial characterization , synthesis methods, and nanomaterial-biological interactions defined at multiple levels of biological...
- Photonic crystalPhotonic crystalPhotonic crystals are periodic optical nanostructures that are designed to affect the motion of photons in a similar way that periodicity of a semiconductor crystal affects the motion of electrons...
- Potential wellPotential wellA potential well is the region surrounding a local minimum of potential energy. Energy captured in a potential well is unable to convert to another type of energy because it is captured in the local minimum of a potential well...
- Quantum confinement
- Quantum tunneling
- Self-assemblySelf-assemblySelf-assembly is a term used to describe processes in which a disordered system of pre-existing components forms an organized structure or pattern as a consequence of specific, local interactions among the components themselves, without external direction...
- Self-organizationSelf-organizationSelf-organization is the process where a structure or pattern appears in a system without a central authority or external element imposing it through planning...
- Technological singularityTechnological singularityTechnological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of a technological singularity is seen as...
Further reading
- Engines of Creation, by Eric Drexler
- Nanosystems, by Eric Drexler
- Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea by MarkMark RatnerMark A. Ratner is Morrison Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University...
and Daniel Ratner, ISBN 0131014005 - There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom by Richard FeynmanRichard FeynmanRichard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics...
External links
- What is Nanotechnology? (A Vega/BBC/OU Video Discussion).
- Course on Introduction to Nanotechnology
- Nanex Project
- SAFENANO A nanotechnology initiative of the Institute of Occupational MedicineInstitute of Occupational MedicineThe Institute of Occupational Medicine was founded in 1969 by the National Coal Board as an independent charity. The IOM is a major independent centre of scientific excellence in the fields of occupational health and environmental health, occupational hygiene and occupational safety...