Nanotechnology

1 Introduction

1.1 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

"There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom"

by the physician and Nobel prize winner Richard Feynman, 29.12.1959 1

Nanoscience and nanotechnology if a field of science and technology deal with syn-

thesis, study of properties and assembly and fabrication of structures and matter at the nano-

meter scale or sizes of about 1Ч10-9 to about 100Ч10-9 m. The relation from a nm to a meter is

like the diameter of a hazelnut to the diameter of the earth. The new effect of nanometer size

results in new properties2 and unique properties that are neither of bulk nor of

atomic/molecular. Some of these unique properties include:

* New quantum mechanical and quantum size effects

* Higher surface area that is useful for catalysis

* Molecular recognition

* Increased magnetic susceptibility

* Size and shape dependent optical absorption

"Bottom-up" synthetic methods involving self-assembly of atomic or molecular building

blocks into well-ordered nanostructures is getting more popularity among chemists in their

efforts to develop synthetic methods various types of novel nanomaterials and to investigate

their properties. Nanoscience and nanotechnology involve development of synthetic methods

to new nanomaterials having unique properties and materials engineering strategies to new

nanosystems and nodevices. For example, the synthesis of nanoparticles that have increased

surface-to-volume