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Nanotechnology
is the application of science and engineering at the atomic scale. It
facilitates the construction of new materials and devices by manipulating
individual atoms and molecules, the building blocks of nature. Nanotechnology
enables the atom-by-atom design and fabrication of tiny structures that
are very small, typically 1-100 nanometres, and which have new properties
and powerful application in medicine and biotechnology, in energy and
the environment, and in computing and telecommunications.
Nanotechnology is an extension of the discoveries and applications of
quantum mechanics, which last century led to a detailed understanding
of matter on the atomic scale, and to innovations such as transistors,
lasers, and molecular biology. Despite the knowledge of atoms and molecules
gained from quantum theory, only in the past 15-20 years were techniques
such as transmission electron and scanning probe microscopy developed
to directly image, characterize and deliberately manipulate individual
atoms and molecules. It is these techniques and their application that
have led to the recent rapid advances in nano-scale science and engineering.
Examples of nanotechnology include engineered materials with nano-structured
surfaces that enable highly efficient catalysis in fuel cells, molecular
machines that can diagnose disease and deliver targeted drug therapies,
or the development of synthetic processes inspired by natural, biological
systems to construct molecular machines for specific purposes. The rich
diversity of invention enabled by nanotechnology may allow revolutionary
developments in medicine, materials, pharmaceuticals, and electronics.
The economic and social impact of nanotechnology may be profound: discoveries
and applications of nanotechnology could lead to a new industrial revolution
in the coming century, and to commercial markets as large as $1.5 trillion
per year within 10-15 years.
Nanotechnology is in its early stages of development, and much remains
to be discovered. Building new and useful devices out of a few atoms or
molecules is technically challenging, and occupies many of today’s
preeminent scientists and engineers in the best laboratories throughout
the world. Many of the principles of how matter functions and organizes
on the nano-scale – the so-called ‘design rules’ –
have yet to be developed. A major challenge is determining how to assemble
different types of nano-sized particles and devices, such as bio-molecules,
nano-scale motors, and nano-electronics, into more complex systems that
do new and useful things. Another challenge is connecting these tiny systems
to the outside world so they can be controlled, monitored and provide
useful information. These challenges are the principal focus of research
activities at the National Institute for Nanotechnology, and are outlined
in the NINT Research Plan.
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