Nanotechnology is the deliberate creation of value-added products, novel devices, and innovative systems through control of manufacturing on the nanometer (1 to 100+ nm) length scale and the exploitation of novel properties and phenomena developed at that scale.
Nanotechnology focuses on elements smaller than 100 nanometers. One nanometer consists of about five to ten atoms placed side by side.
On the nanoscale, nanomaterials may have different chemical, physical and biological properties (e.g. color conductivity, magnetism, strength) due to quantum effects and an increased reactivity resulting from a higher surface-to-volume ratio. On this scale, chemistry, physics, biology, electronics, engineering and material sciences start to converge and contribute to understanding the fundamental chemical, physical and biological properties of nanomaterials.
A better understanding of these properties will enable the design and the production of nano-based materials with the exact properties needed, facilitating the development of a large number of diverse products with superior operational functionalities, economic competitiveness and energy efficiency. Such products are expected to affect a broad range of industries, creating entirely new businesses, energizing the economy and solving major societal problems.
