Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers at Anti Essays

5 Things You Didn’t Know: Nanotechnology


Tiny robots that fight cancer? Shock-resistant and energy-absorbing body armor? Invisible disinfectants? Is this all science fiction or impending reality? The hype surrounding nanotechnology has waned since the early ‘80s when American engineer Dr. K. Eric Drexler brought the concept to the forefront, but what began as a simple topic of conversation at physicists’ cocktail parties is now being realized in a sweeping movement that is going largely unnoticed.

Nanotechnology refers to the science and engineering of matter at the atomic and molecular scale, normally in the range of 1 to 100 nanometers. Any materials or devices with critical dimensions that fall into this range are generally classified as nano. To put things into perspective, one nanometer is the amount a man's beard grows in the time it takes him to lift a razor to his face. Now that’s small.

What’s interesting about materials on the nano scale -- contrary to popular belief -- is that size really does matter. That’s because when familiar materials are reduced to nano proportions, they begin to develop odd properties. For example, plastics can conduct electricity, gold particles can appear red or green and solids can turn into liquids almost spontaneously at room temperature. While not all matter is subject to change, the manipulation of such nano change is a cornerstone of nanotechnology research, and just one of the quirky facts that you probably weren’t aware of. Here are 5 more things you didn’t know about nanotechnology:
1- 1/3 of Americans find nanotechnology morally acceptable
A recent study conducted out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that out of 1,015 adult Americans polled, only 29.5% agreed that nanotechnology was morally acceptable. In stark contrast 54.1% of Brits, 62.7% of Germans and 72.1% of French survey participants found the technology acceptable.

...