Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology (or "nanotech") is manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. It is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. Therefore quantum mechanical effects are important at this quantum-realm scale.

Nanotechnology as defined by size is naturally very broad, including fields of science as diverse as surface science, organic chemistry, molecular biology, semiconductor physics, energy storage, microfabrication, molecular engineering, etc. The associated research and applications are equally diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional device physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, from developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale to direct control of matter on the atomic scale.

Examples:


 * Moleculartronic computer
 * Nanostructured glass in 5D optical data storage
 * Nanosuits


 * Self-replicating systems