What is Nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is the ability to work – to see measure, and manipulate - at the atomic, molecular, and supramolecular levels, in the length scale of approximately 1-100 nm range, with the goal of understanding and creating useful materials, devices, and systems that exploit the fundamentally new properties, phenomena, and functions resulting from their small structure.

At the nanoscale, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials differ in fundamental & valuable ways from the properties of individual atoms and molecules or bulk matter. Nano R&D is directed toward understanding and creating improved materials devices, and systems that exploit these new properties.

Click here to view the Nanotechnology "101" Primer.

Quick Facts

A nano is:

• one-billionth of a meter.

• 75,000 times smaller than a human hair.
  

We now have the ability to do things at this scale of smallness; to measure – predict - make – products on the scale of atoms and molecules.

Below are helpful websites to learn more about nanotechnology:

A Guide to Nanotechnology for Colorado’s Businesses
A Guide to Nanotechnology for Colorado’s Citizens
A Guide to Nanotechnology for Colorado’s Elected Officials
A Guide to Nanotechnology for Colorado’s Economic Developers
A Guide to Nanotechnology for Colorado’s Workforce Development
A Guide to Nanotechnology for Colorado’s Research Institutions

A Day in the Life of Nano (more)
Nano 101 Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report (more)
Nano 101 - http://www.discovernano.northwestern.edu/whatis
National Nanotechnology Initiative – www.nano.gov/html/about/home_about.html
Nano Business Alliance – http://www.nanobusiness.org/
International Association of Nanotechnology - http://www.ianano.org/
Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory -http://www.nanotechproject.org/index.php?id=44&id=44&action=view&p=1

Click here to watch a video about a surfboard made with nanotechnology.

Publications specializing in nanotechnology:

Small Times – www.smalltimes.com
MIT Technology Review - www.technologyreview.com
Forbes/Wolfe Nano Newsletter –www.newsletters.forbes.com
SSTI Newsletter – www.ssti.org
Meridian Institute – www.meridian-nano.org/