This article provides an overview of Nanotechnology including how it was discovered, why its study and research is necessary, what are its applications, and future advancements. Let’s start by understanding what nanotechnology is. The word ‘Nanotechnology’ is derived from two words – Nano, and technology where Nano means extremely small. Nanotechnology refers to the study and application of matters related to science, engineering, and technology at the nanoscale with dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers.
Discovery of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology was first introduced in 1959 by an American physicist ‘Richard Feynman’. He discussed the ideas and concepts behind nanoscience and nanotechnology in his talk entitled ‘There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom’ in an American Physical Society meeting at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech). Feynman described the possibility of synthesis via direct manipulation of atoms and discussed how scientists would be able to manipulate and control individual atoms and molecules.
However, some say that the term Nanotechnology was coined in 1974 by Norio Taniguichi from the Tokyo Science University to describe semiconductor processes such as thin-film deposition that deal with control on the order of nanometers. The formal definition of Nanotechnology as stated by Norio is–“Nano-technology mainly consists of the processing of separation, consolidation, and deformation of materials by one atom or one molecule”.
In short and simple words, Nanotechnology refers to the scientific study and research of the properties of atoms and molecules. Everything on Earth is made up of atoms. However, the size of an atom is so small that it cannot be seen with naked eyes. During the early 1980s, special microscopes were invented including the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and the atomic force microscope (AFM), to study objects as small as an atom. These microscopes are specifically used for the study of nano particles and can help in evaluating and researching the properties inside an atom or materials at nanoscale.
Relevance of Nanoscale Materials
It has been observed that the physical, chemical and biological properties of a cluster of several matters including their color, strength, conductivity, and reactivity are different as compared to the properties of the same matter at a single-molecule scale. For example, carbon nanotubes are less chemically reactive than carbon atoms and combine the characteristics of the two naturally occurring bulk forms of carbon, strength (diamond) and electrical conductivity (graphite). Also, carbon nanotubes are 100 times stronger than steel but six times lighter in weight. Therefore, nanotechnology studies the unique properties of matter at the nanoscale to develop new capabilities with potential applications across all fields of science, engineering, technology, and medicine.
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