Although nanotechnology is a quickly emerging science, nanoscale material was used hundreds of years ago. In fact, the beautiful stained glass windows that adorn many medieval churches were created by varying the size of silver and gold particles. This process resulted in changing the chemical and/or physical properties of the substances.
In 1959, physicist Richard Feynman gave a lecture at CalTech about nanotechnology entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" which prompted new ideas and concepts in the field. In 1981 the field of nanotechnology was changed dramatically with the invention of a scanning tunneling microscope that could technically see individual atoms. Scientist then discovered that once they could see the atoms, they could manipulate their size resulting in the substance exhibiting different properties at this nanoscale than that seen in the mico or macroscale. This is one of the fundamental concepts behind nanotechnology. Since the nanometer is the smallest unit that scientists have ever worked with, it can be hard to understand just how small it is. One nanometer is a billionth of a meter. It would take over 25 million nm to equal one inch. The diagram to the right further illustrates the nanoscale. |
DefinitionNanotechnology ("nanotech") is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale.~ Wikipedia
|
ApplicationsAs of August 21, 2008, the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies estimates that over 800 manufacturer-identified nanotech products are publicly available, with new ones hitting the market at a pace of 3–4 per week.
|
CareersThere are several college and career pathways for nanotechnology. Various colleges offer a range of programs ranging from associate to PhD degrees. Technical and Industry certificates are also available.
|