Nanotechnology - a definition

Nanotechnology and nanotechnology applications refers to a range of techniques used to manipulate matter at the scale of atoms and molecules. The word ‘Nano’ is a size scale, rather than a material, one nanometre being one billionth of a metre. The matter being manipulated can be any material. This is different to other subjects such as ‘Biotechnology’ for example, which defines specifically that ‘bios’ or life is being manipulated.

‘Nano’ materials have a size or features on the scale of around 1nm to 100nm nanometers or so.

There is no definitive agreement of what ‘around 1nm to 100nm or so’ actually refers to, but the following are examples of some definitions that try to tie down nanotechnology:

1. Nanotechnology applications involves research and technology development of particles or structures in the size range 1 nm to 100nm.
2. Nanotechnology applications creates and uses structures that have novel properties because of their small size.
3. Nanotechnology applications are developing the ability to control or manipulate materials at the atomic scale.
4. Nanotechnology is the design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanoscale.

Nanoparticles are of great interest because their properties are different to those of the bulk material. This changes due to the scale of the particles or atomic clusters are called ‘Quantum effects’.