Introduction To Nanotechnology

"Nanotechnology may well rival the development of the transistor or telecommunications in its ultimate impact."
-- Charles M. Vest, President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"Nanotechnology has given us the tools. . .to play with the ultimate toy box of nature-- atoms and molecules. Everything is made from it. . . .The possibilities to create new things appear limitless. . ."
-- Horst Stormer, Nobel Laureate, Columbia University, Lucent Technologies

Currently receiving vast amounts of research funding from government and industry alike, nanotechnology is the science of matter at the scale of one-billionth of a meter or 1/75,000th the size of a human hair. In addition to the numerous advantages provided by this scale of miniaturization, quantum physics effects at this size range provide additional novel properties. By manipulating atoms at this building-block level, scientists can create stronger, lighter materials with tailored properties. Combining research from many disciplines, near-future nanotechnology applications involve everything from scratch-proof glass to internal drug delivery systems to a sugar cube--sized computer capable of storing the information from the entire United States Library of Congress.

In this fascinating overview of the field the authors provide broad coverage of nanotechnology and its applications, with an eye toward giving researchers in different areas an appreciation of nanotechnological developments outside their own fields of expertise. Rather than focusing on the latest developments in nanotechnology, the authors use representative examples of research in many fields to focus on the diversity of its applications. Included iscoverage of:

• Carbon nanostructures
• Organic compounds and polymers
• Bulk nanostructured materials
• Self-assembly
• Nanostructured ferromagnetism
• Catalysis
• Optical and vibrational spectroscopy
• Biological materials
• Quantum wells, wires, and dots
• Nano machines and devices

This self-confessed introduction provides technical administrators and managers with a broad, practical overview of the subject and gives researchers working in different areas an appreciation of developments in nanotechnology outside their own fields of expertise.