The Basics of Nanotechnology
The Science of Manipulating Subatomic Objects
The word "nanotechnology" in itself can be intimidating to people who do not understand it. A brief explanation of this science helps to sort out some of these issues.
What is Nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is one of those words that most people will proudly admit to knowing nothing about. That being said, here are a few quick bullet points on the subject of nanotechnology, just in case the topic happens to come up.
First, the term nanotechnology should be separated from the term nanoscience. Nanotechnology is a blanket term which includes any number of methods which scientists have developed toward the goal of manipulating matter at an atomic and sub-atomic level, whereas nanoscience is what the study of this manipulation is called.
The History of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology first began to be discussed among physicists as early as 1959, when Caltech physicist Richard Feynman discussed the future possibility of being able to manipulate individual atoms to solve certain problems. Actual experiments in the subject didn't begin, however, until technology began to catch up with the theories in the 1980's. Nanotechnology, in essence, refers to the manipulation of any piece of matter smaller than 100 nanometers. A nanometer itself is roughly 8 to ten times larger than an atom, which, to put this in even greater perspective, means that a human hair is about 70,000 nanometers thick (not long, mind you - thick).
The Basics of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnicians use special tools called Atomic Force Microscopes and Scanning Tunneling Microscopes in order to view and measure these tiny pieces of matter as well as to manipulate them into what nanoscientists call “nanostructures,” such as nanotextured surfaces, nanotubes and nanoparticals. Nanotechnology differs from particle physics in that the latter science attempts merely to decipher and to understand the tiniest things in the universe while the former attempts to use these tiny particles for practical purpose.
This is what separates nanotechnology from the more “theoretical” sciences: it possesses very distinct purposes and clear goals (even though the science behind it might seem so complicated as to be nearly impossible for the average human to fully understand). Nanotechnology can be used to manipulate the atomic structure of metals in order to make them lighter, or to build better semiconductors and microchips. Countless medical applications have nanotechnology to thank, including some that help fight cancer, and even tennis racquets and other sporting equipment today are often built using nanotubes of carbon molecules which greatly enhance both strength and performance.
The Future of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is nearly limitless in its potential, and though it is still very much in its infancy as a valid science. Scientists have begun to use nanotechnology to better understand the DNA structure of organisms and to actually manipulate strands of DNA. Nanorobots may be able to enter a human body in order to deliver localized cures for disease, or eve to perform surgeries.
Indeed, nanotechnology truly is a science of the future, so vast in its scope that surely it is impossible for anyone to fully predict where this field will take us next. This may be the science that defines the beginning of this new millennium.
References:
American Association for Cancer Research. “AACR Cancer Concepts: Nanotechnology.”
Foresight Nanotech Institute. “A Short History of Nanotechnology.”
Isaacs, A. (2003). Dictionary of Physics. London: Grange Books.
