Posted: Saturday, 1 August 2009

What is Nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is an emerging science in which matter is manipulated at the level of atoms and molecules. Nanotechnology allows for new materials and tiny structures to be built “from the ground up”, literally atom-by-atom, or molecule-by-molecule, instead of the more conventional approach of sculpting parts from pre-existing materials. Nanotechnology focuses on the development and control of substances at a tiny scale.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology originate from the Greek word “nano” meaning “dwarf”. A nanometre is one billionth (10 -9) of a metre, which is extremely tiny. To put it in perspective a nanometre is one hundred thousandth of the width of a hair. The letter "I" printed here is about one million nanometres wide.

Around the globe, businesses, governments and universities are racing to commercialize nanotechnologies and nanomaterials. Already, hundreds of consumer products are either made using nanotechnologies, or contain nanomaterials.

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