Nanotechnology Structure

The Structure of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is distinguished by its interdisciplinary nature. For one thing,
investigations at the nanolevel are occurring in a variety of academic fields. More
important, the most advanced research and product development increasingly requires
knowledge of disciplines that, until now, operated largely independently. These areas
include:

• Nano Physics — The construction of specific molecules is governed by the
physical forces between the individual atoms composing them.
Nanotechnology will involve the continued design of novel molecules for
specific purposes. However, the laws of physics will continue to govern
which atoms will interact with each other and in what way. In addition,
researchers need to understand how quantum physics affects the behavior
of matter below a certain scale.

• Nano Chemistry — The interaction of different molecules is governed by
chemical forces. Nanotechnology will involve the controlled interaction
of different molecules, often in solution. Understanding how different
materials interact with each other is a crucial part of designing new
nanomaterials to achieve a given purpose.

• Nano Biology — A major focus of nanotechnology is the creation of small
devices capable of processing information and performing tasks on the
nanoscale. The process by which information encoded in DNA is used to
build proteins, which then go on to perform complex tasks including the building of more complex structures, offers one possible template. A better understanding of how biological systems work at the lowest level may allow future scientists to use similar processes to accomplish new purposes. It is also a vital part of all research into medical applications.

• Nano Computer Science — Moore’s Law and its corollaries, the phenomena
whereby the price performance, speed, and capacity of almost every
component of the computer and communications industry has improved
exponentially over the last several decades, has been accompanied by
steady miniaturization. Continued decreases in transistor size face
physical barriers including heat dissipation and electron tunneling that
require new technologies to get around. In addition, a major issue for the
use of any nanodevices will be the need to exchange information with
them. Finally, scientific advances will require the ability to manage
increasingly large amounts of information collected from a large network
of sensors.

• Nano Electrical Engineering — To operate independently, nanodevices will
need a steady supply of power. Moving power into and out of devices at
that scale represents a unique challenge. Within the field of information
technology, control of electric signals is also vital to transistor switches
and memory storage. A great deal of research is also going into
developing nanotechnologies that can generate and manage power more
efficiently.

• Nano Mechanical Engineering — Even at the nanolevel issues such as load
bearing, wear, material fatigue, and lubrication still apply. Detailed
knowledge of how to actually build devices that do what we want them to
do with an acceptable level of confidence will be a critical component of
future research.

The above is from
Nanotechnology: The Future is Coming Sooner Than You Think
Joint Economic Committee United States Congress