What is nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology, in its original sense, refers to the projected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using tools and techniques being developed today to make complete, high performance products. This technology can be defined as the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. This covers both current work and futuristic concepts.

Nanotechnology deals with controlling of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. The size of structures ranges from 1 to 100 nanometers in at least one dimension, and involves developing materials or devices within that size. Its diverse concepts as well as applications range from extensions of conventional device physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, from developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale to investigating whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.

Theoretically conceptualized by physicist Richard Feynman in 1959, the term ‘nanotechnology’ was actually popularized by K. Eric Drexler in the 1980s. He elucidated as a concept that would make it possible to build machines on molecular scale, viz., motors that would be only a few nanometers wide, robots and computers smaller than a cell. Although, today the term is used for even ordinary technological applications and processes its original concept had envisioned building of products from bottom upwards with atomic precision.

Applications

Nanotechnology has the potential to create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications, such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production. On the other hand, it raises many of the same issues as with any introduction of new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios leading to demands for special regulation of nanotechnology.

First generation: 2000

This was the initial stage when passive nanostructures were fashioned. This facilitated production of aerosols, colloids, coatings, nanoparticles reinforced composites, polymers, ceramics, nanostructured metals etc.

Second generation: 2005

This stage heralded the era of active nanostructures. Thus it became possible to manufacture such bioactive products as targeted drugs and bio-devices; physiochemical active pr