What nanotechnologies are there? how can it be used in the future? When was it discovered & what are the uses?

Nanotechnology is a field of applied science focused on the design, synthesis, characterization and application of materials and devices on the nanoscale. Nanotechnology is a sub classification of technology in colloidal science, biology, physics, chemistry and other scientific fields and involves the study of phenomena and manipulation of material at the nanoscale, in essence an extension of existing sciences into the nanoscale. What experts tend to agree on is that definition of nanotechnology involves control and characterization of properties at a molecular level, or perhaps a "nm length scale" level, rather than inferring (hence controlling) properties from macro-scale performance.

Nanotechnology is dealing with research and the construction in the sphere of very small structures: one nanometre is one millionth of a millimetre. Nano (Greek: dwarf) includes research areas in animate and inanimate nature. Applications emerge in energy technology (fuel cells and solar cells), in environmental technology (materials cycles and disposal) or in information technology (new memories and processors) but also in the healthcare area. Nanotechnology is the umbrella term for the most different types of analysis and processing of materials which have one thing in common: Their size is one to one hundred nanometres (one nanometre is one millionth of a millimetre). Nanotechnology makes use of the special characteristics of many nanostructures. The mechanical, optical, magnetic, electrical and chemical characteristics of these very small structures do not only depend on their original material but very much also on their size and shape. A precondition for nanotechnology is the discovery of the possibilities of working with individual components of matter as well as the related growing understanding of the self-organization of these components.

Nanotechnology develops the basis for increasingly smaller data memories with increasingly larger storage capacity, for highly efficient filters for sewage treatment, for photovoltaic windows, for materials which can be used to build ultra-light engines and body parts in the automobile industry or for artificial joints which are better tolerated by the human body due to organic nano-surfaces.

Current situation

The industrial conquest of the nanometre dimension has already started. Similar to information technology, the study of the basic physics goes hand in hand with the development and the introduction on the market of first products. Nano-scale structuring in chip production or the development of new hard drives for computers has already become a standard procedure in electronics. However, the future competitiveness of the products of many other important industries in Germany, such as the chemical, pharmaceutical, automobile, information technology or optical industries, also depends on the development of the nanocosmos. Future progress in nanotechnology is decisive for the further development of these industries.

The go-ahead is being given for an initial four lead innovations which are to develop the market and employment potential in the field of nanotechnology.

NanoMobil / automobile industry

NanoLux / optical industry

NanoFab/ electronics

Nano for Life / life sciences