The science of nanotechnology

Sargent, Ted. The Dance of Molecules How Nanotechnology Is Changing Our Lives. New York Thunder s Mouth Press, 2005. This highly optimistic book, written by a researcher, lucidly explains the science of nanotechnology as well as its practitioners and its many applications. 

In 1996 Richard Smalley, Robert Curl, and Harold Kroto shared the Nobel Prize for their discovery of the buckminsterfullerene. It s a spherical molecule resembling a soccer ball, and it s composed of 60 carbon atoms. (It s often referred to as Cgp for this reason.) The discovery led toward the science of nanotechnology. Today, Robert Curl can be found cycling to work on his bicycle. It s a sight to behold because here s a man awarded a Nobel Prize for discovering a carbon molecule, yet he keeps his carbon footprint at an absolute minimum. 

E. Regis, Nano The Emerging Science of Nanotechnology Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1995, pp. 1—325. 

Being near taldng such a step is another stage in the evolution of nanotechnology, the science of materials measured at billionths of a meter or one-500th of a human hair. 

Nanotechnology is the science of matter with sizes in the range of 1-lOOnm (1-100 X10 m). These are scales of large molecules for example, the sizes of some familiar matter are DNA, 1-2 nm virus, 3-50 nm and red blood cell, -300 nm. 

National Institute of Standards and Technology. Nanotechnology is BIG at NIST. Available online. URL http //www.nist.gov/public affairs/nanotech.htm. Accessed May 28, 2009. NIST is a federal agency devoted to aiding innovation and industrial output by advancing the science of measurement and providing accurate standards by which such measurements can be made. Work at the NIST laboratory involves atomic and molecular devices and other aspects of nanotechnology, as described on this Web site. 

Regis, E. Nona The Emerging Science of Nanotechnology, DIANE Publishing Company, Colllingdale, PA, 1998... 

Nanotechnology The science of designing, building or utilizing unique structures that are smaller than 100 nanometers (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter). This involves microscopic structures that are no larger than the width of some cell membranes. 

The extensive studies carried out in the latter half of the 21st century on the selfassembling behaviour of low-molecular weight amphiphiles (natural or synthetic) have laid the foundation for their potential application in the field of nanotechnology. Although this potential is far from being yet fully explored, nanosciences and life-sciences already benefit by their utilization (e.g. liposomes, drug delivery, nanoreactors, etc.).278,279,280... 

Due to the immense interest in this type of chemistry, the field has rapidly expanded and diversified over the last two decades. In this volume, some of the most prominent scientists in the field contribute extensive reviews, which show the versatility of approaches towards nanocontainers, and give some examples of processes occurring in their interior. The science of nanovessels is still in its infancy and therefore this field is expected to emerge further and develop a high impact in future chemistry. With the size and the special properties of the described derivatives, it bridges the gap between traditional chemistry and nanotechnology. 

Regis E. Nano The emerging science of nanotechnology. Newport Beach, CA Back Bay Books, 1996. 

The micro-scale science of nanotechnology may be in its infancy, but it offers great promise in the chemicals and coatings sector nonetheless. Nanotech advances will eventually affect everything from LEDs, where brighter monitors and displays may be possible, to slicker, denser paints for industrial, marine and architectural applications. 

Anderson, A., Petersen, A, Wilkinson, C. and Allan, S. (2005b) The framing of nanotechnologies in the British newspaper press. Science Communication 27(2) 200-220. 

We have discussed various molecular devices created from supermolecules in this chapter. Molecular level techniques and science will play an important roles in the development of nanotechnology in the twenty-first century. Ultrasmall devices with huge information densities will minimize pollution and energy waste, and improve our lifestyles. Tiny robots will be used in medical applications. Excursions into space - manned and unmanned - will benefit enormously from the use of nanomachines and the products of nanotechnology, which should lead to much cheaper and safer space missions. 

Carbon is the basis of all life on earth, and without a doubt, one of the most versatile elements known to man. More than ten million carbon compounds are known today, many times more than that of any other element. Carbon itself exists in several allotropes. Its flexible electron configuration allows carbon to form three hybridization states which lead to different types of covalent bonding. The most representative macroscopic forms of carbon are graphite and diamond. In 1985, Kroto et al. discovered a third carbon allotrope, the fullerenes. While their experiments aimed at understanding the mechanisms by which long chained carbon molecules are formed in interstellar space, their results opened a new era in science - the beginning of nanotechnology. 

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