Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

What is Nanotechnology?

2011; IOP Publishing; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/b978-0-08-096447-8.00001-6

1361-6528

Jeremy J. Ramsden,

Quantum Information and Cryptography

This chapter explores the basic definitions for nanotechnology, and sketches a concept system ("ontology") for the field. The simplest definition of nanotechnology is "technology at the nanoscale." Obviously, this definition is not intelligible in the absence of a further definition, namely that of the nanoscale. Furthermore, definitions of components of nanotechnology, such as "nanofiber," also refer to the nanoscale; indeed, every word starting with "nano," which one can generically write as "nanoX," can be defined as "nanoscale X." According to the US Foresight Institute, "nanotechnology is a group of emerging technologies in which the structure of matter is controlled at the nanometer scale to produce novel materials and devices that have useful and unique properties." It is also possible to define nanotechnology ostensively, according to what is already generally considered to be nanotechnology, and extended by what is envisaged in the future. A further way of defining it is through its history. Additionally, this chapter discusses the relation of nanotechnology to biology, which has been a powerful paradigm for convincing engineers that nanotechnology is possible.