What is Nanotechnology?

In its original sense, nanotechnology _(1)_ to the projected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using techniques and tools being developed today to make complete, highly advanced products.

When Eric Drexler popularized the word «_(2)_» in the 1980's, he was talking about building machines on the scale of _(3)_, a few nanometers wide – motors, robot arms, and even whole computers, far smaller than a _(4)_. Drexler spent the next ten years describing and analyzing these incredible devices, and responding to accusations of science fiction.

Meanwhile, mundane technology was developing the ability to build simple structures on a molecular _(5)_. As nanotechnology became an accepted concept, the meaning of the word shifted to _(6)_ the simpler kinds of nanometer-scale technology.

Nanotechnology is the science and technology of small things – in particular things that are less than 100 _(7)_ in size. One nanometer is 10-9 meters or about 3 atoms long. For comparison, a human hair is about 60-80,000 nanometers wide.

There are many different views of precisely what is included in nanotechnology. In general, however, most agree that three things are important: Small size, measured in 100s of nanometers or less; Unique properties because of the small _(8)_; Control the structure and composition on the nm scale in order to control the properties.

Nanotechnology is often referred to as a general-purpose technology. That’s because in its mature form it will have significant _(9)_ on almost all industries and all areas of society. It offers better built, longer lasting, cleaner, safer, and smarter products for the home, for communications, for medicine, for transportation, for agriculture, and for industry in general.

Many are predicting that nanotechnology is the next technical _(10)_ and products resulting from it will affect all areas of our economy and lifestyle. It is estimated that by 2015 this exciting field will need 7 million _(11)_ worldwide.