Under the Microscope: Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology, Nanoscience, and Nanoengeneering Focus on the Design and Manipulation of Individual Atoms to Produce Tailor-Made Products and Devices. (Resources in Technology) (2002)

Perspective Humans are fascinated with technology! As humans, we have passed through the millennia of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron ages, through the Industrial Revolution and information ages, and are approaching the age of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The age of nanotechnology may be thought of as a new frontier in technology, science, and materials at the molecular level. Historical Technology Perspective Throughout the history of humans and technology, we have mined and harvested natural resources in a physical way. That is, today as well as in the past, we mine minerals and ores and refine them into metals, alloys, ceramics, and other basic materials. Iron ore is mined and converted into iron and steel from which we shape, form, and machine the raw materials into the products that we value today. Here the emphasis is on shaping, forming, and machining the physical materials. Trees are harvested and sawn into lumber, which is used to construct houses and other buildings. Trees, and subsequently lumber, are used today much the same as they were thousands of years ago. The process for harvesting and sawing has been mechanized and automated, but the basic material is the same as nature has provided. Each of the technological ages is marked by technological milestones that reflect significant changes in the way materials and technology were used at that time. During the Stone Age, the tools and technology were simple by today's standards. However, simple stone tools provided the means to cut, shape, and form materials into useful products and materials. The shift from the Stone to the Bronze Age began about 6,000 BCE and introduced the use of bronze as a basic material for making implements and weapons. The first iron making processes appear about 4,000 BCE, but it would be several thousand years later before it was discovered that iron could be melted and molded into shapes. This was called cast iron. The Iron Age, like previous ages, paved the way for significant changes in the way that people lived and worked. More recently, the age of the Industrial Revolution, about 1780 to 1830, ushered in the era of mechanical power--the steam engine. This is the age when mechanical power began to replace human and animal power. Great changes were made in manufacturing, textiles, and agriculture. The steam engine was used to power factories that supplied the goods people desired. The steam engine would spur the invention of the steamship and railroads, which increased the mobility of people. As we moved into the Space and Information ages, materials and process technologies introduced new manufacturing methods, the transistor and microchip, and the digital computer. We see many inventions and innovations in engineering and chemistry. This is the age where we see the introduction of plastics, polymers, semiconductors, and space travel. This is the age of contemporary technology with which we are so familiar. As we look at our contemporary technology, we see that there are many commonalties with past ages in the way that materials are processed--shaped, formed, and machined. But this is also the age that opened a window to a new frontier--the age of nanoscience and nanotechnology! Defining Nanotechnology Nano is derived from the Greek word for dwarf, and when we use it as a prefix for any unit of measure, like a second or meter, then it means a billionth of that unit. Thus, a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter! In scientific notation we are talking about [10.sup.-9] which is a very small number. Nanotechnology refers to the manipulation or self-assembly of individual atoms, molecules, or molecular clusters into structures with dimensions in the 1-to 100-nanometer range to create materials and devices with new or vastly different properties. To put this into perspective, a human hair is about 10,000 nanometers thick. …