nanostructure
Billionth-meter-scale construction
A nanostructure is any structure with dimensions measured in nanometers—billionths of a meter, roughly the scale of molecules.
The term appears in materials science, electronics, and biology, where properties change dramatically at this scale: Carbon nanotubes are cylindrical nanostructures with remarkable strength.
Nanostructured materials have engineered features too small to see with ordinary microscopes.
Nanoscale carbon cylinder
- nanowireNanoscale conductive filament
- nanosphereSpherical particle, nanoscale
- fullereneCage-shaped carbon allotrope
- grapheneMonolayer carbon hexagonal lattice
nanocage · nanopore · core-shell · hollow · porous · layered · branched · helical
Monolayer carbon hexagonal lattice
- fullereneCage-shaped carbon allotrope
- nanocompositeHybrid with nanometer-scale phase
- semiconductorPartial electrical conductor
- polymerLarge repeated-unit molecule
Spontaneous structural organization
- nanofabricationCreating nanometer-scale structures
- microfabricationManufacturing miniature structures precisely
- top-downDirected from highest level
- bottom-upStarting from fundamentals
etching · deposition · patterning · templating · sputtering · annealing · doping
Molecular-level medical technology
- drug-deliveryAdministering medicine to body
- biosensorBiological chemical detection device
- catalystAgent enabling change
- filtrationSeparating solids from liquids
coating · battery · supercapacitor · LED · transistor · antimicrobial
Subatomic length unit
- atomicOf elemental particles
- molecularOf tiny particles
- subatomicSmaller than atoms
- mesoscaleMid-range meteorological scope
picometer · dimensional · lattice · monolayer · cluster · domain
Technique using powerful lenses
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
- crystallographyStudy of atomic lattices
- photoluminescenceLight emission after absorption
- tomographyImaging via cross-sections
imaging · resolution · porosity · morphology
Ability to carry current
- photonicOf or using light
- magneticAttracting iron or attention
- catalyticPromoting change unchanged
- opticalOf vision or light
electronic · mechanical · thermal · biocompatibility · fluorescence · piezoelectric · superconducting · tunable
nanotube
Nanoscale carbon cylinder
- nanowireNanoscale conductive filament
- nanosphereSpherical particle, nanoscale
- fullereneCage-shaped carbon allotrope
graphene · nanocage · nanopore · core-shell · hollow · porous · layered · branched · helical · tubular
graphene
Monolayer carbon hexagonal lattice
- fullereneCage-shaped carbon allotrope
- nanocompositeHybrid with nanometer-scale phase
- semiconductorPartial electrical conductor
self-assembly
Spontaneous structural organization
- nanofabricationCreating nanometer-scale structures
- microfabricationManufacturing miniature structures precisely
- top-downDirected from highest level
bottom-up · etching · deposition · patterning · templating · sputtering · annealing · doping
nanomedicine
Molecular-level medical technology
- drug-deliveryAdministering medicine to body
- biosensorBiological chemical detection device
- catalystAgent enabling change
filtration · coating · battery · supercapacitor · LED · transistor · antimicrobial
angstrom
Subatomic length unit
mesoscale · picometer · dimensional · lattice · monolayer · cluster · domain
microscopy
Technique using powerful lenses
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
- crystallographyStudy of atomic lattices
- photoluminescenceLight emission after absorption
tomography · imaging · resolution · porosity · morphology
conductivity
Ability to carry current
optical · electronic · mechanical · thermal · biocompatibility · fluorescence · piezoelectric · superconducting · tunable
- Nanotechnanotube, nanowire, nanorobotics, nanomachine, nanodevice
- nanoimprintingstamp, template, embossing, resist, demolding
- block copolymerssoft block
- materialsmetal, metals, wood, ceramic, fabric
- quantum statesground state, excited state, mixed state, qubit, singlet