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The prefix nano- means billionth and is often used in the context of structures and processes that occur at the nanoscale. Nanoscience investigates these phenomena, while nanotechnology creates useful devices. The smallest bacteria have a diameter of 200 nm. Richard Feynman proposed the idea of manipulating things atom by atom. Nanotechnology has inspired multibillion-dollar investments and over 200 consumer products contain some materials considered nanotechnology. The word “nanotechnology” was first popularized in 1986 by Eric Drexler through his book Engines of Creation.
The prefix nano- means billionth. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, a nanogram is a billionth of a gram, etc. The millionth and thousandth are micro and milli-. When used in the context of modern discussions, the prefix nano- is most often prefixed to the unit of length, the meter, referring to structures and processes that occur at the nanoscale, the size of atoms. Nanoscience is the field that investigates this type of phenomena, while nanotechnology is the engineering discipline that creates useful devices to exploit them.
The size of individual atoms ranges from 0.1 to 0.5 nanometers. Using scanning tunneling microscopes, which create images using quantum tunneling effects, we can resolve individual atoms and even manipulate them to some extent. As a point of reference for size, the smallest bacteria, of the genus Mycoplasma, have a diameter of 200 nm.
The idea of nanotechnology began with famed physicist Richard Feynman, who gave a 1959 speech titled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” in which he said: “The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of manipulating things atom by atom”. Feynman proposed using a series of robotic arms to build ever smaller and smaller robotic arms, until the arms become so small that they can manipulate individual atoms.
The allure of such a machine, combined with the short-term applications of nanoscience and nanotechnology, has inspired multibillion-dollar investments in the field. As of June 2007, over 200 consumer products contain some materials considered nanotechnology. Of course, the meaning of the word “nanotechnology” has broadened considerably since it was first conceived. It originally meant nanoscale machine systems, but today it tends to apply to virtually any type of scientific research that takes place at the nanoscale.
The word “nanotechnology” was first popularized in 1986 by Eric Drexler through his book Engines of Creation, which discussed the feasibility and potential of advanced nanotechnology. It was followed by the technical book Nanosystems in 1992, which introduced various designs for molecular machines. These have yet to actually be built, though.
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