How do you define nanotechology?

[Gonzolo]

What do you consider to be the framework for what is called nanotechnology? At first, I thought it was only atom manipulation with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy systems (the IBM atom-man), but some use the word for work where something has nanometer dimensions, such as thin films, molecules, and of course, there's laser-sculpting. What do you think?

 

[LURCH]

I tend to adhere to the government definition, which says (roughly), "any technology involving a device or component that is 100 mm or less in any dimension".

 

[Claude Bile]

These days, anything sub-micron tends to be labelled 'nano', for example silica spheres (such as those found in opal) 800 nm in diameter are usually referred to as nanospheres, even though their dimensions are much more comparable to a micrometer than a nanometer. I suspect the use of the word 'nano' creates more of a buzz, and thus more of a chance of obtaining a research grant.

There is a definite transition in behaviour as one scales thing down to nanometer scales (e.g waveguides in optics for example), Nanotechnology, as I think of it are devices that work within these nano-regimes of operation.

One of the largest areas of research in nanotechnology is in nano-optics, particularly photonic crystals and other minaturised optical devices.

Claude.

 

[DARKe]

i think it is better nowdays to call nanotechnology nanoscience