Saturday, January 8, 2011

Physics Concept: Nanotechnology


Nanotechnology is a highly multidisciplinary field, ranging from applied physics, materials science, interface and colloid science, device physics, supra-molecular chemistry, self-duplicating machine and robotics, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, biological engineering, food technology and electro techno.  The term nanotechnology comes from the Greek word "nano" meaning dwarf or midget.  In technical terms "nano" means objects that are so small in size billionth of a meter (10-9m).
Nanotechnology includes the development of technology in the nanometer scale, usually 0.1 to 100nm.  As a comparison, a human hair has a diameter of about 50 micrometers.  One micrometer itself is one per thousand millimeters.  And a nanometer is one per thousand micrometers, or roughly equal to the diameter of our hair was cut into 50,000 times.