Nanotechnology refers to the science of building, visualizing, and manipulating at the nanometer scale. The prefix nano means one billionth of something; thus, a nanometer (nm) is one billionth of a meter. An atom is about one-third of a nanometer wide, and a human hair is 200,000 nm in diameter.1
Richard P. Feynman, 1965 Physics Nobel laureate, first discussed nanotech in a lecture entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," at the American Physical Society's 1959 annual meeting.2 The ensuing 40 years have seen tremendous progress in the field, and much that seemed fantastical in 1959 seems possible today. In fact, 2001 was a banner year for nanotechnology, culminating in Science magazine's naming nanoelectronics as its 2001 Breakthrough of the Year.3
Some scientists approach nanotechnology the same way they would approach Mount Everest—it's worth doing simply because it's there. But most nanotech supporters envision advances in materials and manufacturing, ...
