Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and

supramolecular scale, and can be used for many things and can be manipulated on an atomic
level so you can make it bigger or smaller. Nanoscience and Nanotechnology both involve the
ability to see and control atoms, but without the proper equipment and technology, it is
impossible to see atoms with the naked eye. Nanotechnology can be used in many fields of
science like Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, and Engineering.
Physicist Richard Feynman is the father of Nanotechnology. Feynman described a
process in which scientists would be able to manipulate and take control of molecules and atoms.
A decade later, in his explorations of achieving ultraprecision machining, Professor Norio
Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnology, but modern nanotechnology didnt start until 1981
with the development of the scanning tunneling microscope that gave people the ability to see
individual atoms. The technology that was used to view things on the nanoscale were invented
relatively recently, they were invented about 3 decades ago.
One nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or 10-9 of a meter. Here are a few examples of the
Nanotechnology scale:

There are 25,400,000 nanometers in an inch

A sheet of newspaper is about 100,000 nanometers thick

On a comparative scale, if a marble were a nanometer, then one meter would be the size
of the Earth.

Although modern Nanoscience and Nanotechnology are relatively new, Nanoscale materials
were used centuries ago, therefore, Nanotechnology isnt a new subject; in fact, artists who

made the stained windows for the medieval churches did it, but they didnt know that what
they were doing was changing the compositions of the materials that they were working with.
Todays scientists and engineers are trying to find new ways to make new materials at the
nanoscale so they can take advantage of their enhanced properties like higher strength,
lightweight materials, an increased control of the light spectrum, and greater chemical
reactivity than their larger counterparts.
Nanotechnology can build machines on the scale of molecules, a few nanometers wide,
like motors, robot arms, and even computers far smaller than a cell. Eric Drexler spent the
next ten years of his life describing and analyzing these incredible devices, and responded to
the accusations of science fiction. Shortly after the envisioned molecular machinery is
started, it resulted in an industrial revolution that will probably cause severe disruption,
because it also has serious economic, social, environmental, and military implications.
Unfortunately, the conflicting definitions of nanotechnology, and the blurry distinctions
between significantly different fields have complicated the effort to understand the
differences between each field and develop a sensible, effective policy. A lot of dangers come
from using nanotechnology (nanoparticle toxicity etc.) that cannot be treated the same as the
risks of longer term molecular manufacturing (economic disruption, unstable arms race, etc.)
It would be a huge mistake to put them together in one basket for policy consideration, they
would have to be put into different baskets. It is true that each one is important to address,
but they offer all offer different problems and therefore they will all require
different solutions to solve their problems.

Not only will Nanotechnology allow us to make high-quality products at a low cost, but
will it allow making new nanofactories at the same low cost and at the same speed?
Nanotechnology has a unique ability to reproduce its own means of production, that is why
nanotechnology is said to be an exponential tech. This represents a manufacturing system
that will be able to make more systems that can manufacture things like factories that can
build factories quickly, cheaply, cleanly and more effective. The means of production will be
able to reproduce exponentially, so in just a few weeks, a few nanofactories could
become billions very quickly. It is a revolutionary, transformative, powerful, and potentially
very dangerousor beneficialtechnology.
Quantized effects arise in the nanometre regime because of the overall dimensions of the
objects that are comparable to the characteristic wavelength for fundamental excitations in
materials. For example, electron wave functions in semiconductors are typically in the order
of 10 to 100 nanometres. Such excitations include: electrons, photons, phonons,
and magnons. These excitations carry the quanta of energy through materials and thus it
determines the dynamics of their propagation and transformation from one form to another.
When the size of structures are comparable to the quanta themselves, it influences how these
excitations will move through and interact within the material. Small structures may limit
flow, create wave interference effects, and otherwise bring into play quantum mechanics.
Selection rules are not apparent at larger dimensions.
Phonons are a quantum of energy or a quasiparticle associated with a
compressional wave such as sound or a vibration of a crystal lattice. Phonons are not to be
confused with protrons or photons. Protons belong to an Element and photons are rays of
light radiation. A magnon is a quasiparticle, which is a collective excitation of the electrons'

spin structure in a crystal lattice. In the equivalent wave picture of quantum mechanics,
a magnon can be viewed as a quantized spin wave.
The propagation of photons are altered dramatically when the size and periodicity of the
transient structure approach the wavelength of visible light which is 400 to 800 nanometres.
When photons propagate through a periodically varying dielectric constantfor example,
semiconductor posts surrounded by airquantum mechanical rules define and limit the
propagation of the photons depending on their energy (wavelength). This new behavior is
analogous to the quantum mechanical rules that define the motion of electrons through crystals,
giving bandgaps for semiconductors. In one dimension, compound semiconductor superlattices
can be grown epitaxially with the alternating layers having different dielectric constants, thus
providing highly reflective mirrors for specific wavelengths as determined by the repeat distance
of layers in the superlattice. These structures are used to provide built-in mirrors for verticalcavity surface-emitting lasers, which are used in communication applications. When you view it
in two and three dimensions, periodic structures known as photonic crystals offer additional
control over photon propagation.
Nature assembles the way to improving structural materials. The often-cited
abalone seashell provides a beautiful example of how the combination of a hard, brittle inorganic
material with nanoscale structuring and a soft, tough organic material can produce a strong,
durable nanocomposite, which basically means, these nanocomposites are made of calcium
carbonate bricks that are held together by a glycoprotein also known as glue. New
engineered materials are emerging quickly, such as polymer-clay nanocomposites that are not
only strong and tough but also lightweight and easier to recycle than conventional reinforced
plastics. Such improvements in structural materials are particularly important for the

transportation industry, where reduced weight directly translates into improved fuel economy.
Other improvements can also increase safety or it can decrease the impact on the environment in
terms of fabrication and recycling. Further advances, such as truly smart materials that can signal
their impending failure or materials that are even able to self-repair the flaws that they have, it
may be possible to achieve this with the composites of the future.