Abstract

Nanotechnology has made huge progress from the bright idea to the advanced technology over recent years. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether or not nanotechnology will revolutionize manufacturing and become a leading technology in the near future. First, possible applications of nanotechnology are provided. Then, basic tools and methods used in nanotechnology are introduced. Further, problems and dangers associated with this technology are described. The conclusion evaluates the chances of nanotechnology to become fully feasible.

Introduction

In 1959, future Nobel laureate in Physics, Richard Feynman predicted the rise of nanotechnology in a visionary and prophetic lecture at a meeting of the American Physical Society, entitled ‘‘There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom”. During that meeting he explored the limits of miniaturization and the possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom. What at that time seemed like a science fiction, has recently become reality.

Nanotechnology is defined as fabrication of devices with atomic or molecular scale precision (Drexler, 2001). A nanometer is the unit of length, which equals one billionth of a meter (10-9 m). The size of single molecules is measured in nanometers. Realization of nanotechnology will revolutionize many areas of our life. This technology will give us ability to manufacture objects with molecular precision, which will result in a great improvement of properties and performance of many materials and devices (Drexler, 2001). The great number of real-world nanotechnology products will find applications in electronics devices, biomedical research, and medicine and industry.

Although nanotechnology is currently in a very infantile stage, we now have the ability to organize matter on the atomic scale and there are numerous products available as a direct result of our ability to fabricate things in sizes less than 100 nm. These products are being used in computer technology, medicine, ecology and manufacturing of raw materials. But to be able to fully benefit from what nanotechnology promises to offer, scientists will need to solve a vast number of problems related to quantum mechanics, chemical bonding and self-replication. Ethical and social implications of nanotechnology also need to be carefully studied. In order to evaluate the chances of nanotechnology to become general over the next decade or two, it is necessary to provide information on the following questions:

1. What are the tools and methods used in nanotechnology?
2. What are the possible applications of nanotechnology?
3. What are the major problems and dangers associated with nanotechnology?
4. What are the ethical and social implications of nanotechnology?