nanoscience
Atom-level scientific study
Nanoscience is the study of materials and phenomena at the nanometer scale—roughly one to one hundred billionths of a meter, where individual atoms and molecules become manipulable.
At this scale, familiar materials exhibit unusual properties: gold appears red, surfaces become superhydrophobic, quantum effects emerge.
Nanoscience underpins developments in medicine, electronics, and materials engineering.
Nanoscale detection devices
- nanoelectronicsCircuitry at billionth-meter dimensions
- nanoroboticsMolecular-scale machine science
- drug deliveryConveying medicine to tissues
- nanofabricationCreating nanometer-scale structures
Submicroscopic material fragment
- nanotubesHollow molecular cylinders
- grapheneMonolayer carbon hexagonal lattice
- fullereneCage-shaped carbon allotrope
- quantum dotsNanoscale semiconductors with size-dependent properties
nanowires · nanofibers · nanocrystals · buckyballs · core-shell
Imaging via focused particle beams
- self-assemblySpontaneous structural organization
- bottom-upStarting from fundamentals
- top-downDirected from highest level
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
Physics at nanoscopic scales
- interdisciplinaryCombining distinct fields
- Nobel PrizeHighest academic honor
- IBMMultinational technology corporation
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
Subatomic length unit
- atomic scaleDimension of fundamental particles
- picometerTrillionth of a meter
- microscaleAt micrometer dimensions
- femtometer10⁻¹⁵ meters
nanosensors
Nanoscale detection devices
- nanoelectronicsCircuitry at billionth-meter dimensions
- nanoroboticsMolecular-scale machine science
- drug deliveryConveying medicine to tissues
nanoparticle
Submicroscopic material fragment
- nanotubesHollow molecular cylinders
- grapheneMonolayer carbon hexagonal lattice
- fullereneCage-shaped carbon allotrope
quantum dots · nanowires · nanofibers · nanocrystals · buckyballs · core-shell
electron microscopy
Imaging via focused particle beams
- self-assemblySpontaneous structural organization
- bottom-upStarting from fundamentals
- top-downDirected from highest level
quantum mechanics
Physics at nanoscopic scales
- interdisciplinaryCombining distinct fields
- Nobel PrizeHighest academic honor
- IBMMultinational technology corporation
angstrom
Subatomic length unit
- atomic scaleDimension of fundamental particles
- picometerTrillionth of a meter
- microscaleAt micrometer dimensions
- Nanotechnanoparticle, nanotube, nanowire, nanotech, nanorobotics
nanosciencemacro-
Prefix indicating bigness
cosmology · geoscience · astrophysics · giga- · classical physics
science, nano, nanoscale, nanometer, nanotechnology, nanobots, nanomaterials, nanomaterial, nanomedicine