NanoScience
The term 'nano' refers to the metric prefix 10-9. It means one billionth of something. Nano can be ascribed to any unit of measure. 1 nanometer = 0·000000001 metres.
So, what is NanoScience? NanoScience is the study of structures on the scale of nanometers. When structures are small enough, in the nanometer size range, they can take on interesting properties.
Nanoscale structures have existed long ago before scientists began studying them. A single strand of DNA, is about three nanometers wide. Peacock feathers and soap bubbles also get their iridescent colour from the light interacting with the structures of just tens of nanometers thick.
Because nano-scaled structures are so small, specialised methods are needed to manufacture things in this size range. Scientists use beams of electrons or ion to etch features as small as twenty-five nanometers into metal and carbon-based materials. Nanostructures can also be formed in liquids. Nanostructures can be created by reacting chemicals in liquids and gases to generate quantum dots, nanofibers, and nanocrystals.
NanoScience has already impacted our lives with innovations such as stain-resistant fabrics inspired by nanoscale features found on computer hard drives and lotus plants, which store information on magnetic strips that are only twenty nanometers thick. Scientists and engineers use nanoscience principles for advanced applications in energy, medicine, information storage, computing and elsewhere.
