Outline of nanotechnology

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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to nanotechnology:

Nanotechnology – study of physical phenomena on the nanoscale, dealing with things measured in nanometres, billionths of a meter. Nanotechnology is a complex scientific area involving the rearrangement of atoms at a molecular level, i.e. creating devices at a molecular level.^[1] Atomic rearrangement depends on the material used because any alteration of the atoms changes the identity of the material. Nanotechnology is rearranging atoms to create things at an extremely small scale, and it was popularized by Eric Drexler: "Eric Drexler was the godfather of nanotechnology."^[2] In 1977, Drexler had the idea of creating tiny robots that were able to manipulate molecules and produce any substance in a very small amount of time. He was the spark that started nanotechnology research. Nanotechnology has come a long way from 1977 to today.

Branches of nanotechnology

• Green nanotechnology – use of nanotechnology to enhance the environmental-sustainability of processes currently producing negative externalities. It also refers to the use of the products of nanotechnology to enhance sustainability.
• Nanoengineering – practice of engineering on the nanoscale.
• Wet nanotechnology – involves working up to large masses from small ones.

Multi-disciplinary fields that include nanotechnology

• Nanobiotechnology – intersection of nanotechnology and biology.^[3]
• Ceramic engineering – science and technology of creating objects from inorganic, non-metallic materials.
• Materials science – interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. It investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties.
  • Nanoarchitectonics – arranging nanoscale structural units, which are usually a group of atoms or molecules, in an intended configuration.

Contributing fields

Nanoscience

• Nanoelectronics – use of nanotechnology on electronic components, including transistors so small that inter-atomic interactions and quantum mechanical properties need to be studied extensively.
• Nanomechanics – branch of nanoscience studying fundamental mechanical (elastic, thermal and kinetic) properties of physical systems at the nanometer scale.
• Nanophotonics – study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale.

Other contributing fields

• Calculus
• Chemistry
• Computer science
• Engineering
• Miniaturization
• Physics
• Protein engineering
• Quantum mechanics
• Self-organization
• Science
• Supramolecular chemistry
• Tissue engineering
• Robotics

Risks of nanotechnology

Implications of nanotechnology

• Grey goo – hypothetical end-of-the-world scenario involving molecular nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating robots consume all matter on Earth while building more of themselves,^[4][5] a scenario known as ecophagy ("eating the environment").^[6] Grey goo consists of devices that could potentially be able to make copies of themselves repeatedly without control from the creator.^[1] In other words, an uncontrollable, self-replicating nano-machine or robot. The concept of grey goo is largely similar to the vast amount of science-fiction movies that involve self-replicating robots taking over the world. These are science-fiction movies because they are not based on anything real, but this potential outbreak of self-replicating robots has become a reality through the research of nanotechnology. The term grey goo was devised by Eric Drexler in one of his many books. Eric Drexler knew that grey goo could be extremely dangerous and could potentially take over everything if scientists did not know what to do to stop them. He said, "Dangerous replicators could easily be too tough, small, and rapidly spreading to stop — at least if we made no preparation."^[7] In Chris Phoenix and Eric Drexler's paper "Safe Exponential Manufacturing"^[8] they state that grey goo cannot be produced through the software programs used for nanotechnology. They say, "The development and use of molecular manufacturing need not at any step involve systems that could run amok as the result of accident or faulty engineering."^[8]

• People such as state agencies, criminals and enterprises could use nanorobots to eavesdrop on conversations held in private.^[9]

Applications of nanotechnology

• Energy applications of nanotechnology
• Quantum computing – computation using quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform data operations.
• more...

Nanomaterials

• Nanomaterials – field that studies materials with morphological features on the nanoscale, and especially those that have special properties stemming from their nanoscale dimensions.

Fullerenes and carbon forms

Fullerene – any molecule composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Fullerene spheres and tubes have applications in nanotechnology.

• Allotropes of carbon –
• Aggregated diamond nanorods –
• Buckypaper –
• Carbon nanofoam –
• Carbon nanotube –
  • Nanoknot –
  • Nanotube membrane –
• Fullerene chemistry –
  • Bingel reaction –
  • Endohedral hydrogen fullerene –
  • Prato reaction –
• Fullerenes in popular culture –
• Endohedral fullerenes –
• Fullerite –
• Graphene –
  • Graphene nanoribbon –
• Potential applications of carbon nanotubes –
• Timeline of carbon nanotubes –

Nanoparticles and colloids

Nanoparticle –

• Ceramics processing –
• Colloid –
• Colloidal crystal –
• Diamondoids –
• Nanocomposite –
• Nanocrystal –
• Nanostructure –
  • Nanocages –
  • Nanocomposite –
  • Nanofabrics –
  • Nanofiber –
  • Nanofoam –
  • Nanoknot –
  • Nanomesh –
  • Nanopillar –
  • Nanopin film –
  • Nanoring –
  • Nanorod –
  • Nanoshell –
  • Nanotube –
  • Quantum dot –
  • Quantum heterostructure –
  • Sculptured thin film –

Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine –

• Lab-on-a-chip –
• Nanobiotechnology –
• Nanosensor –
• Nanotoxicology –

Molecular self-assembly

Molecular self-assembly –

• DNA nanotechnology –
  • DNA computing –
  • DNA machine –
  • DNA origami –
• Self-assembled monolayer –
• Supramolecular assembly –

Nanoelectronics

Nanoelectronics –

• Break junction –
• Chemical vapor deposition –
• Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
• Nanocircuits –
• Nanocomputer –
• Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS)
• Surface micromachining –
• Nanoelectromechanical relays

Molecular electronics

Molecular electronics –

Nanolithography

Nanolithography –

• Dip Pen Nanolithography –
• Electron beam lithography –
• Ion-beam sculpting –
• Nanoimprint lithography –
• Photolithography –

Molecular nanotechnology

Molecular nanotechnology –

• Grey goo –
• Mechanosynthesis –
• Molecular assembler –
• Molecular modelling –
• Nanorobotics –
  • Smartdust –
  • Utility fog –
• Nanochondria –
• Programmable matter –
• Self reconfigurable –
• Self-replication –

Devices

• Micromachinery –
• Nano-abacus –
• Nanomotor –
• Nanopore –
  • Nanopore sequencing –
• Quantum point contact –
• Synthetic molecular motors –
• Carbon nanotube actuators –

Microscopes and other devices

Microscopy –

• Atomic force microscope –
• Scanning tunneling microscope –
• Scanning probe microscope –
• IBM Millipede –
• Sarfus –

Notable organizations in nanotechnology

List of nanotechnology organizations

Government

• National Cancer Institute (US)
• National Institutes of Health (US)
• National Nanotechnology Initiative (US)
• Russian Nanotechnology Corporation (RU)
• Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) (EU)

Advocacy and information groups

• American Chemistry Council (US)
• American Nano Society (US)
• Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (US)
• Foresight Institute (US)
• Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (global)

Manufacturers

• Cerion, Nanoparticles (US)
• OCSiAl, Carbon Nanotubes (Luxembourg)

Notable figures in nanotechnology

• Vicki Colvin Director for the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, Rice University
• Norio Taniguchi - coined the term "nano-technology"
• Richard Feynman - gave the first mention of some of the distinguishing concepts in a 1959 talk
• Eric Drexler - was the first to theorise about nanotechnology in depth and popularised the subject
• Robert Freitas - nanomedicine theorist
• Ralph Merkle - nanotechnology theorist
• Joseph Wang - pioneer in electrochemical sensors xploiting nanostructured materials; synthetic nanomotors
• Sumio Iijima - discoverer of carbon nanotube
• Richard Smalley - co-discoverer of buckminsterfullerene
• Harry Kroto - co-discoverer of buckminsterfullerene
• Erwin Wilhelm Müller - invented the field ion microscope, and the atom probe.
• Gerd Binnig - co-inventor of the scanning tunneling microscope
• Heinrich Rohrer - co-inventor of the scanning tunneling microscope
• Chris Phoenix - co-founder of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
• Mike Treder - co-founder of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
• Phaedon Avouris - first electronic devices made out of carbon nanotubes
• Akhlesh Lakhtakia - conceptualized sculptured thin films
• Alex Zettl - Built the first molecular motor based on carbon nanotubes
• Andre Geim - Discoverer of 2-D carbon film called graphene
• Carlo Montemagno - inventor ATP nanobiomechanical motor (UCLA)
• Russell M. Taylor II - co-director of the UNC CISMM
• Adriano Cavalcanti - nanorobot expert working at CAN
• Lajos P. Balogh - editor in chief of Nanomedicine: NBM journal
• Charles M. Lieber - pioneer on nanoscale materials (Harvard)

See also

Further reading

• Engines of Creation, by Eric Drexler
• Nanosystems, by Eric Drexler
• Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea by Mark and Daniel Ratner, ISBN 0-13-101400-5
• There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom by Richard Feynman

^{[10] [11]}

References

External links

• NanoTechMap The online exhibition of nanotechnology featuring over 4000 registered companies
• Nanotechnology at DMOZ
• What is Nanotechnology? (A Vega/BBC/OU Video Discussion).
• Course on Introduction to Nanotechnology
• Nanex Project
• SAFENANO A nanotechnology initiative of the Institute of Occupational Medicine

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